Writhing / Ad Patres      

Prophecies Of the Beheaded
Nihilistic Holocaust 2012

Once again Nihilist Holocaust brings us a gem of brutal underground death metal, this time in the form a split with American (Writhing) and French (Ad Patres) destroyers!  Each one unleashes a deathly volley of three songs that reap total destruction.

First up is the hammer smashing brutality of Writhing.  Deep guttural vocals and speedy, yet massive grooves immediately strike your eardrums on Indomitable.  There is a martial confidence to their style that brings to mind bands like Spearhead or Angelcorpse crossed with thick riffing of Grave.  Another dose of high speed devastation greets you as Death Of Your Dream gets underway.  The dual vocal approach is a nice touch as the song drops into midtempo grooves that crush you like a vice.  Prey begins with a mournful acoustic piece and then lurches into a monstrous groove that accentuates the band's heaviness before more clean guitar and a blasting black metal passage hit you in the face like an icy gust of wind.  The song then drifts back and forth between these two disparate styles for a nice melding of genres.  

As if Writhing didn't hit me hard enough, Ad Patres is even more hostile.  The Lock gets the ball rolling with its deep, ultra brutal vocals and technical, yet diabolical riffs which bring to mind a less polished Immolation.  The echoes of Immolation are further enhanced for me as To The Fathers drops into its meatier sections of double-bass drumming and mayhemic riffs.  However there is an overall faster, thrashier feel to the guitarwork on this track.  Scorn Aesthetics brings proceedings to a close as it hammers away at warp speed from its opening notes and only relents slightly to hack your eardrums with a meat cleaver sized riff.  Somehow Ad Patres manages to squeeze in just a hint of atmosphere into their riffs but if you aren't paying attention it'll likely slide right past you.

Both of these bands are forces of bloodthirsty violence.  This split demo is remorseless and leaves nothing but bloody carnage in its wake.  So if you are into barbarous death metal then you will not be disappointed.