Locktender - Coma Regalia - Oaken - Wounded Knee Split

01. Locktender - The White Dam
02. Coma Regalia - Won
03. Oaken - Zugló
04. Wounded Knee - Bath Salts
05. Wounded Knee - Krokodil
06. Wounded Knee - Sitting Bull

Locktender's song 'The White Dam' starts out this awesome four way split. This is a 10+ minute song, and it works as a slow burn that builds tension and emotion throughout. The mood is set at the onset by a solitary clean guitar riff, and this mood continues when the rest of the band kicks in, grooving confidently until the rage builds at the 3:30 mark. I had never heard this song befor, so the vocals were a welcome change from the generally higher pitched shrieks that have come to dominate screamo/post-hardcore/etc. Even though this is a really long song, it doesn't get boring or repetitive, and each part feels like a small song in itself connected into a larger cohesive whole. Locktender is followed by Coma Regalia, who seem to have a new release every time I turn on my computer. This eight minute song continues in the tradition that I've come to expect from this band, but that in no way means that their material has become stale. Coma Regalia have a cool way of mixing more straight forward punk and hardcore influences with screamo, and continue to improve on their sound with every release. I'm a sucker for higher, reverb coated, post-rock influenced guitar lines, and they integrate them tastefully. Coma Regalia has an impressive handle on mood, emotion, and dynamics that is sure to guarantee quality releases in the future. The Oaken song, 'Zugló', is an eleven minute epic that continues Oaken's dark, trudging post-hardcore. Parts of this song sound like Tragedy to me, which is perfect. They manage to keep the listener's attention throughout, throwing in power-violence blasts that careen back into sludgy darkness at the drop of a hat. Instead of one epic song like the other bands on this split, Wounded Knee offer up three tracks that total about ten minutes of music. These smaller bursts are easier to digest than the intensely long songs from their split partners, and are a less dark offering. Wounded Knee is still intense, but the songs are more open sounding and less trudging. I can hear a hint of older Daniel Striped Tiger in the guitar work, and the dual vocals really make these songs for me. The screams accent the more hollered vocals of the lead in a perfect way without being overbearing.

Reviewed by Justin.

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Wolf Shaped Clouds - Oaken Split

01. Wolf Shaped Clouds - Word By Word & SkeletonsIn Band T-Shirts
02. Oaken - The Hunter

This split gives us two songs from Wolf Shaped Clouds and one from Oaken, to be released on cd. If you're at all familiar with Wolf Shaped Clouds, then these songs won't be too surprising, as they continue in the fast heavy style that the band has created. It seems as if the vocals are more than a little screamo influenced, while the music is heavy and sometimes melodic hardcore. There's a cool grime to this recording. It's not bad by any means, the vocals are clear, and each instrument is solid and distinguishable, while maintaining a raw fuzzy quality that is really great. When 'Skeletons In Band T-Shirts' drops down to the clean passage at the end it's a fantastic dynamic shift that ends their contribution perfectly. The Oaken offering to this split is on ten and a half minute song that is introduced with a spoken word sample. This gives way to a heavier screamed passage that mixes not-too-fast hardcore with a crusty influence. This soon shifts moods into a softer section that climbs to reverb heavy post rock intensity before shifting back into a theme similar to the opening. It can be difficult to maintain a listener's interest in a song this long, though Oaken manage to do it with the hunter, expertly shifting tempos and moods to create an interesting blend of crust, post-rock, screamo, and hardcore.

Reviewed by Justin.

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