My love for splits is amazingly well documented, so it should come as no surprise that I am doing another one! This time its a ridiculously dirty little album out now on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, the Solanum/Epi-Demic split, Passages to Lunacy! Part punk, part noise,a third Thrash, all crusty and gross, its coming up!
Having never heard of either of these guys, it’s quite refreshing to hear just raw music being put out. THese two bands offer up 8 songs between the two of them, Solanum with the first four (Friendly Civil Servant, Welcome to Our Homemade Hell, Manipulated, Lunatic Tradition) and Epi-Demic with the final four (Time is Running Short (When You’re Dying on the Cross), Famine, Nuclear Dream, Stewing in Misery). The whole album is manic from the first note to the last, with a blazing energy that fills every song till the tankards burst.
Solanum, kicking the album off awesomely with Friendly Civil Servant, has quite the huge sound, given the sort of crossover style they seem to dabble proficiently in. Their whole set seems to be a thrash heavy, crust punk mashup, which plays extremely well on this album. I love the ferocity with which they attack my ears, and the absolutely perfect grit with which they play. Its as if they found the nastiest gutters and simple laid their guitars down into the grime and mud. Excellent fuck-everything music. All four tracks just breath a pent up rage and destructive energy, and you will start getting aggravated at everything! BREAK EVERYTHING!!!!
Epi-Demic doesn’t let up at all, but here is where the crusty, punk vibe gets way more real, as they have a very stripped down aesthetic. Sounds like true garage music, and kicks some ass with dirty Vans! They still have the fast, thrash oriented playing style, but again, much less production. They have an incredibly gnarly bite to their style however, and hell no I don’t want to fight them. These guys carry shit covered knives in their hi-tops, and they will bite you! The 4 songs that Epi-Demic lay down are anarchy itself taking hold of your whatever-fi system, and headbutting you until you give them your mom’s number. These guys win the album for me, especially their number Time is Running Short (When You’re Dying on the Cross). It’s got the catchiest grove I have heard in a bit, and shows some legit talent. I’ll get in that pit as soon as I’ve had my shots….
Out now where Music is sold!
