Sunday, November 23, 2014

Dunnock/Intergalactic Holocaust Split

Dunnock - Dunnock/Intergalactic Holocaust

Previously on ToD, I have reviewed Dunnock and absolutely loved their music.  When I was contacted by Temptations if Resonance Records to review the Dunnock/Intergalactic Holocaust split album, I was extremely excited, this being the only Dunnock material I haven't heard before!  Before hearing the split, I never heard of Intergalactic Holocaust before but after listening, I see why these two projects paired together for a release.
Lets get to the music, shall we?  This split album is made up of 7 tracks, with Dunnock contributing 4 out of those 7.  The order of the tracks is quite weird (songs 1,2,3 are Dunnock, 4,5,6 are I.H. and then song 7 is back to Dunnock) but knowing Dunnocks music quite well, there is always a reason behind anything they do, this I am sure is no exception.  The album starts off with a dark, droning piece of ambient music that dulls your senses and creates a melancholic feeling within you.  With their other tracks, Dunnock provides you with exactly what you want to hear from the band.  A lo-fi, dark, despair-laden atmosphere that creates a bleak and desolate soundscape within the minds of the listener.  The drums are only present to keep the tempo and for the majority of the time, are hidden in the background.  The overdriven, distorted guitars are at the forefront of the music along with the bone-chilling shrieks that tell disturbing stories that will haunt for days.  There are a few instances, especially in Jan 28th, that a synthesizer is present.  It definitely seemed out of place at first but becomes an acquired taste after some time, leaving me to wonder what Dunnock will do next in terms of synth use in their next release.
Intergalactic Holocaust's portion of the split is quite intense, yet it does not have the same vibe as Dunnocks music carries.  The music is a bit more refined and not as raw and quite honestly, made me want to start the CD over and listen to the first half again.  The drums are a bit more prominent but once again, are used strictly to keep tempo and do not show off much at all.  The guitars are a bit dirty but every note and stroke of the strings are distinguishable, leaving that lo-fi vibe to be wanted even more.  The vocals are quite pronounced and are quite good for the style of music I.H. is playing.
While Intergalactic Holocaust's portion of the split album was not some of my favorite black metal, Dunnock once again kills it and I am starting to be convinced that this band can do nothing wrong.  The emotion within their music and lyrics stand apart from almost anything I have ever heard.  I look forward to hearing what both bands have in store for the future!

8/10