Covering the splits that were released in the first half of 2025. Take a listen to some artists putting out a record together without necessarily collaborating. The annoyance of having two or three Bandcamp streams, often with just one of the sides is worth the effort.
SH/HS 2025 Part 2
SH/HS 2025 Part 1
SH/HS 2024 Part 2
From The Waters Of Death, released by I, Voidhanger Records, is a super-ambitious, over two years in the making, 80+ minute long conceptual album of four bands collaborating to retell the Epic of Gilgamesh. Serpent Ascending opens the split with a track of labyrinthine and gothic-tinged death metal, with Ôros Kaù (led by Guillaume Cazalet of Neptunian Maximalism fame) following in dissonant black metal form. The “directors” of this entire effort, Swords Of Dis, offer two tracks of doom-laden, folk-tinged, black metal grandeur, with vocalist Alice Corvinus stealing the show with her haunting and theatrical performance, actually appearing on all the tracks of this split. This epic journey (and the word “epic” is almost an understatement for this release) comes to an end with the ambient, cosmic black metal of Midnight Odyssey. Overall, the sheer scope of this thing is astonishing on all fronts: the music, the artwork, and the presentation. Without ever coming across as bloated, it captures the listener’s attention with its compelling atmosphere, immersive songwriting, wonderful storytelling, and charismatic performances. From The Waters Of Death is a piece of art that redefines what split albums are; it’s dense, punishing, ritualistic, and it demands your undistracted presence for an hour and a half.
Bandcamp: Label (full)
by nikarg
Six tracks of Swedish sludge/post-metal courtesy of Pelagic Records is a tantalizing prospect for me, and Legbiter and Norna do not disappoint here. Legbiter are on the cleaner end of the spectrum, with a healthy clean vocal presence and a riffing style that takes elements from noise rock while still providing that satisfying post-metal heft (especially on the jagged, lumbering “Speedball”). Norna, who made waves two years ago with their self-titled sophomore album, are still arguably the stars of the show here, bringing a deceptively overbearing depth and intensity considering their status as a three-piece, and muscling their way through a trio of simplistically titled songs (“Norna 1”, “Norna 2”, and naturally “Norna 3”); “Norna 2” in particular is an unnerving exhibition of bleak atmosphere and bulldozing distortion.
Bandcamp: Legbiter (full) / Norna (full)
by musclassia
The label Shadow Kingdom Records brings together two female-fronted bands, Savage Master and Mystic Storm for the split release, titled The Power / Wandering Time. The first band is a fairly recognizable, hard-rocking/heavy metal ensemble that knows how to write and perform fist-pumping anthems with catchy riffs and memorable choruses. On this split, they deliver three 3-minute-long songs, without exploring any new ground compared to what they have done in the past, but their energy and their love for old-school metal are unmistakable. The title track is the obvious highlight, with a main riff taken straight out of Judas Priest’s playbook. Mystic Storm’s contributions, on the other hand, take up twice the runtime. The band had an impressive debut five years ago (review here), mixing thrash metal with epic mysticism and sword and sorcery themes. Unfortunately, they sort of vanished shortly after that but have now unexpectedly resurfaced with a significantly changed line-up. Musically, they seem to have taken a more melodic and classic heavy metal-oriented route, while the aggressive and thrashy element of their sound has been toned down. Regardless, the Russians remain an exciting and interesting prospect with very good songwriting skills and convincing performances, and all three songs are great. Let’s hope they don’t disappear again.
Bandcamp: Label (full)
by nikarg
Two of the best Canadian black metal acts in recent years teaming up for twelve minutes of epic and melodic greatness, need I say more? Conifère bring out their A-game with a varied track that goes through all you could ask for in melodic black metal. Very catchy riffs, an acoustic guitar interlude, some clean vocals, and a song that just keeps building up and up, ending with two spectacular minutes of black metal. Vespéral’s side isn’t quite as strong but it’s honestly not too far off. I especially like its opening melody and use of clean vocals, which shows a substantial improvement over the already very good La Mort De L'âme. Its rawer, more atmospheric approach also really makes the release feel whole, with both sides complementing each other and making for twelve deeply fun and memorable minutes.
Bandcamp: Conifere (full)
by Roman Doez
This split has been co-released by Bindrune Recordings and AOP Records, and part of the profits from the sales is meant to be donated to Minneapolis immigrant legal defence. Panopticon’s contribution is “Flag Burner Torch Bearer“, which first appeared on the band’s self-titled debut album back in 2008, but was re-recorded and arranged in 2020 during the Minneapolis uprising in support of Minnesota Black Lives Matter. This version features guest vocals by Azeta from Tvær, Simon from Dawn Ray'd, and Jan from Uprising, as well as samples taken from the Minneapolis protests during 2020. The song itself is emotionally intense and mostly thunderous and blistering, but it does have some grievous and mournful parts, remaining captivating for its entire ten minutes. Uprising is a one-person black metal band, and the two songs here, “No Justice, No Peace” and “One Conviction Is Not Enough“, are on the more raging and aggressive side of black metal, with a bit of a hardcore/punk edge on the first track and some vicious groove on the second. Whatever you may think about the political message of this release, it is undeniable that, both musically and lyrically, this is absolutely feral.
Bandcamp: Label I (full) / Label II (full) / Panopticon side / Uprising side
by nikarg
It's been a while since we last heard from Lightning Bolt, and choosing to return with a side of a split rather than a full album did seem to make this fly under the radar. I was unfamiliar with OOIOO prior, so I went into this as a Lightning Bolt first and foremost. The album starts with OOIOO's side, and the most striking thing about the band is that their krautrock sound takes that weirdness to the vocal side as well, something that feels in line with the Japanese experimental scene. The switch from OOIOO's side to Lightning Bolt's is quite jarring. Despite both having some roots in psychedelia and repetition, OOIOO's relaxed slow building and specific vocal oddity is at odds with the maximalist noise and heavily processed vocals of Lightning Bolt, in a way that doesn't have each side contrast and complement each other. Odd pairing aside, it is a neat first audition of OOIOO and about twenty minutes of new Lightning Bolt noisy groove.
Bandcamp: OOIOO (full) | Lightning Bolt (full)
by RaduP
Split releases are often used as platforms for up-and-coming bands to share their music more widely, but they are by no means the sole domain of the young. Embers Of Belief, coming courtesy of Heavy Psych Sounds Records, marks the 20-year anniversary of Birmingham’s Alunah, while Samavayo are even more experienced. Still, there is something new here, as this is the first Alunah music featuring Daisy Savage on vocals, who slots in nicely on the early Iron Maiden-influenced “On Blacklow Hill” and dirty rocker “La Pucelle” as naturally as the classic desert rock tracks recorded live with her in 2025 such as “Hazy Jane”. Samavayo show ambition on their half of the split; “Bavar” is an expansive, complex effort inspired by the Fibonacci sequence (I wonder when that’s been done in metal before...), while they go acoustic for the psychedelic desert jam “California Sky”, harking back to the acoustic work of Kyuss.
Bandcamp: Label (full)
by musclassia
Two coasts united by black metal and anti-fascism, Portland and Baltimore join forces on Towards Dead Temples through Nixil and Drouth, serving up nearly a half-hour of varied music within the genre. Of the two, Drouth’s sound is more conventional (albeit with a slightly thrashy slant), storming forth with frozen tremolos, howling roars and relentless blasts. Still, there are moments of relative surprise, such as the more technical direction that “Cathartes Aura” goes in as it progresses. In contrast, Nixil have a wider palette to offer, from initial early tinges of Tribulation and eerie spoken word during “Never Rise Again” to shockingly soaring clean-sung lines and peculiar rhythmic attacks across “Bloody Footsteps On The Path Of Bones”, all with a good dollop of dissonance factored in.
Bandcamp: Nixil (full) / Drouth (full)
by musclassia
In life, there are only two certainties: you will die, and you can always count on New Standard Elite to deliver some quality brutal death metal. The label’s lineup has become so absurdly stacked that it’s impossible to avoid them if you have even a passing interest in the subgenre. Trichomoniasis especially have always been among my favorite on the label, playing a twisted version of death metal (inspired by the great Encenathrakh) that always felt closer to Cecil Taylor than to Suffocation. Their side of the split doesn’t veer too far off their usual sound, though it does feel a lot more “normal” than the rest of their material. “Focally Tattered” and “Blast Overpressure - Internal Liquefaction” certainly help occasionally push the release into avant-garde territory, but they’ve done much weirder and in fact released a much crazier project the same day as this split. These four tracks are still as great as what they’ve used us to, and they make for a more than solid addition to their impeccable catalogue.
I was, on the other hand, not previously acquainted with Dysthymia, and I must admit that I am quite fond of what they have to showcase on this release. Their tracks are much grindier than Trichomoniasis’, sometimes getting close to gorenoise, with the frog-like vocals only furthering the comparison warranted by the monolithic wall of sound that the other instruments produce. It’s not what I usually like the most within this fringe of metal, but the 10 minutes they allocated to this split pass by quickly and smoothly while remaining very enjoyable throughout.
Bandcamp: Label (full)
by Roman Doez
Screamo time! Short and sweet (and vicious!). Here we have two sides of the screamo coin that are worth analysing independently but, like all great splits, complement each other nicely.
Let’s start with the Italian Falesia which is an unknown band to me. Before hearing this split, I checked out Falesia’s self-titled debut from 2025 and to my pleasant surprise, they already had a very well-defined sound that instantly resonated with me. It’s the kind of screamo that has very melodious lead guitars and a really cathartic vibe which reminds me of Saetia. They sound melancholic, sure, but the energy makes their music more of an ecstatic experience with the bright, triumphant riffs alongside the screamed vocals with even some gang hardcore shouts here and there. The instrumentality on this side of the split is much more technical and will certainly interest mathcore fans with the very busy, adrenaline-filled drumming and speedy, dissonant riffs. It’s definitely the “fun” side of the split.
On the other side of the screamo spectrum we have Zbrucz which is a band I discovered 2 years ago; at a time when I was getting into the genre. Despite the rawness of the production, their debut EP greatly impressed me due to the heartwrenching vocals and slower sections that brought to mind blackgaze and DS black metal. Naturally, I was very excited to hear new material because, as I stated in my previous review, Zbrucz had both the songwriting and style nailed nicely but they were in dire need of a better mix and production. On their bandcamp they state that their side of the split was recorded in a school bomb shelter. Kudos to them for keeping their DIY aesthetics while also finding a place with apparently much better acoustics because their music shines through with much more force than before, with the powerful guitars finally taking the front seat from the drumming. This improved sound provides an effectiveness to their painful crescendos that reference both post-hardcore and post-metal, keeping their sound fresh and ambitious.
Being the shortest split featured in our article at barely 11 minutes, Zbrucz and Falesia do an excellent work in showcasing the broad spectrum of sounds and atmospheres related to screamo. Seamlessly going back and forth from desperation to blissfulness, these two young bands can easily hook newcomers and veterans of the genre alike. Keep an eye on them!
Bandcamp: Zbrucz side / Falasia side
by X-Ray Rod
Meejah / Hiraki – Interwoven
Splits and collaboration albums are typically considered as distinct entities, but there are cases in which the lines can become blurred, and it is hard to know how best to categorize Interwoven, a combined release from Danish bands Meejah and Hiraki released on Pelagic Records. Two songs are credited to each band, but with the other band credited as a guest; as such, the songs blur between the post-rock/metal of the former and the synth-laden noise rock of the latter, but with the prevailing personalities of each band coming through more clearly on the songs they are primarily credited with. Opening track “Redirect Revenge” (which also features ex-The Ocean vocalist Loic Rossetti) is a sharply dynamic post-metal affair with airy quiet sections and pounding distortion in the heavy passages, and a satisfying evolution towards its suffocating climax. In contrast, “All Contrast”, penned by Hiraki, exhibits post-rock dynamics within the confines of abrasive noise rock, with synthscapes gradually overtaking with distorted instrumentation, while “Preserve/Manifest” is an even more pounding electronic industrial effort. As with so much on Pelagic Records, Interwoven is a highly creative and inspired release, bringing together two distinct voices that coalesce very synergistically with one another.
Bandcamp: Meejah (full) / Hiraki (full)
by musclassia
Keys To The Astral Gates And Mystic Doors / Bloody Keep / Sanguine Wounds
Keys To The Astral Gates And Mystic Doors / Bloody Keep / Sanguine Wounds
What better way to check out some up-and-coming bands than with a nice little split. Keys To The Astral Gates And Mystic Doors are the only ones in there that I had listened to before, and they remain faithful to themselves, with two pretty nice - if a little by the numbers - black metal tracks, and one really good ambient tune. Bloody Keep’s sound is much punkier (and messier), but it really hits its stride in their second track, with its really well accomplished melodic edge. It may just be my favorite song in the split. Finally, Sanguine Wounds deliver two pretty classic, and slightly atmospheric, black metal tracks, that are thoroughly enjoyable but not extremely memorable. This whole split is overall a really nice moment to get through but it lacks in true standouts, aside from Bloody Keep’s second track. I’m still looking forward to whatever all three bands are doing next, because they all show some real promise.
Bandcamp: Label (full)
by Roman Doez
Sinister Feeling / Heavens Die
Even if each of the two bands gets three songs each, any self-respecting hardcore release should not go over fifteen minutes. And over a third of that is just a single song. Sinister Feeling is a beatdown hardcore / powerviolence band from Baltimore whose sound might not be the most revolutionary, but whose choice of a cover for their third song (the long song I just mentioned) does make for the weirdest cover of an Electric Wizard song I've heard so far, and the doom contrast works well to lead into Heavens Die's more metallic and quite doomy sound. Even though their side also ends with a cover, a Type O Negative that you'd expect would be equally as doomy, the gag "The Misinterpretation Of Silence and It's Disastrous Consequences" is perhaps the most baffling choice for a band whose sound already takes cues from goth and hardcore equally.
Bandcamp: Label (full)
by RaduP
Nirensimt / Scoured – Ceaseless Majesty, Endless Malice
Split releases are often fertile ground for one-man bands to join forces with others that they share an affinity with on their respective journeys of growth. Ceaseless Majesty, Endless Malice presents Nirensimt and Scoured at critical junctures on their paths as they seek to expand their respective takes on extreme metal, black metal in the case of Nirensimt and death metal when it comes to the latter. There is a classic lo-fi hue to Nirensimt’s contributions to this split, but while elements of Peder Simon’s compositions align with the atmo-black ambitions of the cover art, there is also a major doom component to these songs, in addition to a more technical riffing style on “Do Not Forsake The Power Of Curses”. Scoured’s songs strive to break free from the confines of old-school death metal, most notably in the form of the doomy trudge and tremolo guitar layers pervading “Interred Beyond Infinity”.
Bandcamp: Scoured (full) / Nirensimt (full)
by musclassia
An all-Norwegian affair, From Horrid To Worse is perhaps surprisingly not a black metal onslaught, but an exercise in belligerence taking an altogether different form. Forcefed Horsehead offer crusty death metal, mostly pounding along in deranged punkish fashion while sliding in moments of darker death metal malice. Shaving The Werewolf have a murkier, bassier production that adds an extra oomph to their core sound without compromising the eccentricities in their own punk/extreme metal fusion, most notably the odd recurring synths in the bruising chugging “Affordable Victims” and the jarring mathcore guitar parts.
Bandcamp: Forcefed Horsehead (full)
by musclassia
Hibernaut / Face Pulp
Sludge meets deathgrind on a hefty split that exhibits contrasting interpretations of grim depravity in metal music. Hibernaut rumble along with a very deep, thick sound, as if both guitars are functioning as enhancement of the bass. Their portion of the split dwells heavily in classic sludge doom territory, serving up putrid grooves and malevolent solos alongside barked vocals. With track lengths ranging from 4 to 8 minutes, their four occasionally push the tempo (with a couple of surges in “Bastardized Cultivation”) but don’t push the envelope; the variety in this split is provided instead by the contrast between their sound and that of Face Pulp on Side B. “Ups And Downs And Craps” at the beginning of their stretch of songs somewhat aligns with Hibernaut in sticking to a slower, gnarlier pace, but the shorter tracks that follow see them unleash their grindcore selves with fury, ranting away in gruff fashion.
Bandcamp: Hibernaut (full)
by musclassia
Anything we miss? What were some of your favourite splits of the year so far?
