SACRIPHYX (AUS) / RESUSCITATOR (US) - SPLIT LP

This split combines recordings by two of the most impressive, but overlooked bands with which NWN! has ever worked. These bands, though separated by a vast geographic and temporal chasm, nonetheless utter their respective incantations in a similar tongue. Resuscitator's doom drenched death metal is among the darkest and most atmospheric to emerge from the sick corners of mid-1990's Southern California. These tracks presented here were recorded in 1994, but were never released. Worshippers of the band’s “Iniciation” LP will find a continuation of the sound that was constructed on that release. It should be noted that the more recent releases using the name Resuscitator belong to a completely different lineup, and the recording here bears virtually no resemblance to that recent lineup’s output. While Resuscitator play death metal in a traditionally North American style, there can also be heard a tremendous influence of early Greek black/death such as Varathron and Rotting Christ. At the time, few if any North American death metal bands were incorporating the melancholy sounds cultivated by the Hellenic masters into their style as masterfully as Resuscitator. These tracks mark the last unreleased material from this era of the band's existence. Like Resuscitator, Australia's Sacriphyx also envelop their sound in one that is largely attributable to traditional Greek influence. Sacriphyx do not rely so heavily on a brooding death metal sound, however. Instead, they construct epic hymns that convey the triumphant and tragic spirit of militaristic combat. Focusing on a nationalistic reverence for soldiers from the hellish realm down under, every track Sacriphyx writes is a magnum opus to the spirit of combat. These two bands were combined on this split release to illustrate the specific nexus in their respective styles. The resulting music covers a broad spectrum both stylistically and thematically, but the bands’ convergence is perfectly sufficient to also permit a continuous listening experience.