Desolatevoid
Recorded by Jamie Hansen, November 2008. Mixed throughout 2009.
- Andy Howard—Vocals
- Mark Stolp—Guitar
- Brent K—Guitars
- Nick Carroll—Bass
- Tim Smith—Drums
The Last Van Zant
Engineered by Matt Morgan at Sit N Spin in June 2008.
- D Dill—Vocals
- B Leslie—Guitars
- A Glenn—Bass
- C Leslie—Drums
The Parish
Recorded at Garagemahall, Appleton, WI fall of 2009. Tracked and mixed by Grp.
- Ryan—Vocals and guitars
- Grp—Guitar
- Jon—Bass
- Fred—Drums
Review
The CD says “A Crimes Against Humanity split release” but I can’t decide if this is supposed to be a true split album or more of a label-released taster to generate more sales. (It’s hard work being this cynical.) Whatever the truth I can’t help thinking that The Parish got a bit of a raw deal with only two tracks on the disc. (That said, their two tracks do last 14′ 43″.)
I reviewed Desolatevoid in October. Their album was oddly prophetic: No sign of better times. I mean, it’s not awful but then again it’s not that great, either. More forgettable riffs, shouty vocals and more than half-decent playing.
The Last Van Zant are a band that I had never heard of before. On balance, I don’t think I’ve missed out too much living in ignorance of them until now. They have quite a punk feel to them with the kind of guitar solos that I was able to pull off after only a few months of picking up a guitar. They have a big sound: rasping distortion leaking out of those poor amp cabinets, and a lot of shouting. A lot.
And so that leaves only The Parish. Only two tracks but boy! did they leave the best ’til last. “Suffer” opens with a southern groove-style riff that is shortly joined with growling death-metal vocals. It’s like Down and Gorefest jamming together. It’s wonderful!
“Dark Days” proves that the previous track was not just a one off. It opens with a mournful Black Sabbath-style riff that slowly builds to a trundling groove. This track lasts 10 minutes but not once does it overstay its welcome.
Conclusion
I wish I could split these EPs and review them one by one. If that were the case then The Parish would score considerably higher than the other two; perhaps even in the low- to mid-90s.
As I need to take into account the other 11 tracks on this release I will use a simple average: Desolatevoid: 50%, The Last Van Zant: 40%, The Parish: 90%
Review score: 60%