“Doom and Reform.”
Church Road Records brings us a split album featuring Wowod and Somn, both emerging bands from St. Petersberg. Whilst the choice to produce a split record could have many motivations, the bands explain that they wanted to overlap their international fanbases and promote a positive cultural exchange, particularly in a time of ongoing strife.
Wowod‘s sound could be described as a careful crossover between post, sludge, and hardcore (whatever any of those really mean). More practically, Wowod are fundamentally defined by a rock-solid rhythm and bass section, which is spellbindingly powerful, and leaves higher frequencies free to soak up the plentiful ambient noise. Somn bring all the epic grandeur of black metal with extra drippings of ambience, somewhat in that “Cascadian” styling, but recorded in a proper studio (rather than a cabin in the woods). The split explores all these sounds in detail and features many contemplative passages, thus, a track-by-track overview is a fair way to cover its narrative.
Wowod‘s side is a single track, “Обречение“, meaning “Doom” in Russian. It’s split into three movements, making it technically Wowod‘s longest to date. The band explains it discusses the man’s lack of forgiveness, positing that this entreats our downfall.
Opener “Обречение: Прелюдия” is a fully ambient, Blade Runner-esque reverie, complimenting Somn‘s interlude “Dissolve” in the second half. If the band wants to write an album with only tracks like this, I’d be first in line to hear it. The second movement “Обречение: Часть 1” brings Wowod‘s caustic sludge to the fore, and is the only moment with their deep, guttural, harsh vocals. Short and sweet, it blends smoothly into “Обречение: Часть 2“.
The last movement is nine minutes of post metal oozing in the style of Cult of Luna, Light Bearer, or Crib45. Malignant chords swell over slowly building tom drum grooves and crunchy bass. It’s very focused on its straightforward riffs, suggesting the track’s origins might have been from loose jam sessions. Perhaps it outstays its welcome in terms of its length, but the clean vocals make it worthwhile, particularly as the track ends and they begin to get raspy. To tie Wowod’s side together, a flicker of the ambient synthesisers from “Обречение: Прелюдия” hold steady throughout side A.
Side B is Somn‘s first release since early 2019, putting a heavier weight of expectation on the split’s second side. It features two long black metal suites tied together with a gentle interlude. Over its first three minutes, “Fracture” builds gradually into black metal mode with dark, hope-sucking riffs and spiteful vocals. After this section hits its natural conclusion, the vocals sit out, and last four minutes explore a particularly somber guitar riff, fading into drone whilst the drums still control the pace. It’s a marvelous track, and already among Somn‘s best work.
“Dissolve” comes before the next epic. It’s a great juxtaposition of Wowod‘s first track, as Somn use guitar-sourced textures rather than synth-based sounds. These drones croon and crackle through reverb, almost breaking up, decorated by a delayed plucking sound that whistles through the static. The piece merges cleanly into the other tracks, so arguably it serves its purpose in pacing the record, but I think it has plenty of value on its own. Final track “Reform” starts even more gradually and beautifully than “Fracture“, particularly as the black metal blast-beatdown only begins at six and a half minutes, but the wait is well worth it. The final two minutes allow the guitar drones to ebb gradually, instilling an exit-mood of awe and abjection.
The production of both sides is fully professional, with the main differences being the wide range styles of metal on display. Furthermore, the split embraces not only the duration, but also variety, of ambience that both bands can offer in their quiet, pensive movements. Somn‘s three tracks are impeccably balanced. On Wowod‘s side, the stark stylistic differences make things feel a little disjointed in isolation. In the context of a split, this works to the record’s favor, so even if you’re only visiting for one artist, consider going from the start and listening in full.
7.5/10
Split is available today, October 6th, via Church Road, and you can find the record here.