Downfall Of Gaia / In The Heart Of Emperors (2011)

From The Obelisk Forums:


"DOWNFALL OF GAIA from germany and IN THE HEARTS OF EMPERORS from sweden share this split together and i think there wouldn?t be a better fitting combination to do this. Both band play this dark crust,doom,punk style. DOWNFALL OF GAIA contribute two (more one long) song to this split. It starts very slow like you already heared it on some of their last songs on ?epos?. It grows and grows over a few minutes until it breaks out. Epic, athosmpheric parts meet blast. To compare it to other bands you can say ALPINIST meets FALL OF EFRAFA here. IN THE HEARTS OF EMPERORS are the counterpart to DOG. I really could copy and paste what I wrote before. Three dark, detuned songs array to one long song here. Dark and angry vocals meet hard guitar lines. Reminds me very much to Amen Ra. The LP comes in a heavy gatefoldcover with a printed inside. The vinyl itself will be pressed on heavy (180gr) redwax. There will also be a 
poster included"


I was just browsing around certain blogs and I happened to find a link for this album in a shoutbox. So thanks for that! (not pointing out any names). I have never heard of In The Heart Of Emperors but I can see why Downfall Of Gaia chose to do a split with this band. They combine a lot of post-rock influence, along with atmospheric sludge, and harsh screamed vocals. They almost remind me of all those French bands like Amenra, Year Of No Light, and Celeste. ITHOE really like to fuck with your mind. You think the song is through but NOPE! That's just the climax building more and more and more with very low mumbles and screams until it's just unleashed on your mind like a wave of sound. I'm thankful for this split because otherwise I would have known about In The Heart Of Emperors and how kick ass they are! Now, onto Downfall of Gaia's side. If you know anything about DoG, they play a very atmospheric sounding crust very similar to bands as Fall Of Efrafa, Down To Agony, and Icos. On their first track, These Wet Feathers..., they have "ha ha ha"'s that are almost as if they're mocking and give you a really chilly feel. Their melodies are to die for. The way their tracks build up and really get you caught up in the moment will have you begging for more. Screams, beautiful, elongated riffs, and perfect execution, DoG really go above and beyond on this split. One great split by two great bands. Nothing else needs to be said.

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