OneMetal.com music REVIEW:
Colonel Blast/Cancerous Womb/Magpyes/Dyscaphia/Diascorium – Split Roast

I like split releases. As someone who is increasingly disillusioned with the fact that the metal community espouses brotherhood and the togetherness of members of an underdog counter-culture, yet is more often embodied by bands playing together glaring frostily across the room at each other and judging each other negatively, splits re-affirm my faith that the spirit of brotherhood in metal actually exists and isn’t just something drunken idiots in Manowar shirts shout about at you when you’re trying to watch bands.

So I had my eye on Split Roast as something to review as soon as my spies brought me word that five of the UK extreme metal scene’s most celebrated luminaries were combining their considerable powers to release a split the likes of which had never been heard before. The first contributors to this great undertaking are Northwich’s Colonel Blast, who I was lucky enough to witness along with split mates Diascorium smashing faces at last year’s Damnation Festival. Colonel Blast specialise in vicious, spiky death metal, their almost blackened approach to the genre revolving around angular tremolo picking and dissonant chordal riffs, as opposed to crushing heaviness. The songwriting is tight and concise too, held together by vocalist Darryl Jones’s spiteful yet perfectly controlled snarl.

Following on from this are Scotsmen Cancerous Womb, who bring their trademark irreverence to the party with new song ‘Torn From Gunt to Cunt’, a song that is perhaps unsurprisingly about murdering fat women. Anyone who can hear the line “You’ve more chins than a chinese phonebook” in the context of death metal without cracking at least a smirk probably has no soul. As well as this they include ‘Tepid Decrepit’ an ode to the failings of their previous drummer “look at your ass, look at your face – they’re disgusting!” and a live cut of their standard ‘Austrian Basement’. As usual, Cancerous Womb’s songwriting is flawless: memorable riffs, and plenty of hooks delivered in Chris Lewis’s eminently intelligible vocals are framed within tasteful arrangements. I’d be hard pressed to say they were the ‘best’ when in such peerless company as the other artists here, but Cancerous Womb’s contributions were certainly my favourite songs on the album.

Magpyes are the black sheep here. The other four bands all play variants of death metal, but Magpyes fall squarely into grind territory. This is no bad thing, their placement on the EP providing an interesting genre change at the midpoint of the album. It’s hardly a breather though; Magpyes, by virtue of their genre, are the most aggressive band on offer here, their relentless blasting and vitriolic vocals are a stark contrast to the more controlled aggression of the others. Their contribution, as with the best grind, is cathartic and satisfying, with songs that are over almost before they’ve begun.

Diascorium and Dyscaphia both lean much more towards the tech side of things, though to call either of them ‘tech death’ would be an overstatement. Both play fast, relentless music, but Dyscaphia favour tremolo picked melodies and fast double bass, where Diascorium are much more riff based. People either appreciate music on an emotional level or on a cerebral level, and I have a feeling that these last two bands will fall into the latter category with most people, while the two opening bands sit firmly in the former. It’s impressive stuff; Diascorium in particular have an ear for intricate compositions, and I also want to praise their inclusion of an ethereal, glitchy remix track on the album.

There are 20 tracks, an hour of music, on offer here so purely from a quantitative viewpoint, Split Roast is worth your hard earned dollar. Of course, it helps that each band on here is a stirling example of their particular niche. I really can’t fault it; most fans of extreme metal will find something to like here. The production is a bit questionable, in that this is one of those CDs that sounds wildly different on every system you hear it on, but I’m nitpicking now. Buy it.

Colonel Blast’s MySpace: www.myspace.com/colonelblast

Condate Records’ Website: Condate Records

Bottom Line

20 tracks of the UK’s finest extreme metal that not only pleases my ears but leaves me with a warm tingly feeling that comes from knowing that underground metal and the camaraderie that goes with it is alive and well. What’s not to like?