Aska / Hypothermia

I really dislike it when bands bring in guests, they're not apart of the band and they never will be, they're simply guests; they're there for no other reason as to leave the listener with a good impression, and in turn, hoping the listener will investigate into their main project, or band. Guest vocalist, Ravenlord, from Woods of Infinity screwed up the Hypothermia track, Melakoli. The music in itself is amazing, very thorough and in-depth tunes. But really, what is Hypothermia without Kim's vocals? It's not the same band. Especially when its the more aggressive side of Hypothermia, they need Kim's vocals to sustain balance on the given track. The random vocal twitches in between each scream honestly convinces me Ravenlord suffers from a mild case of Tourette's Syndrome. They're sound as if the wrong vocals were tracked with the wrong instruments; they simply don't fit. Although, the opening scream, after all the twitches is fairly impressive, other than that, Ravenlord can fuck off.

This'd have to be a first, but the other side of Hypothermia's split is the standout track! Aska, the other project on this release, play an aggressive, punk-influenced style of black metal; some refer to it as Black 'n' Roll. The riffs are simple, well executed and are the main ingredient in keeping the listener captivated, the vocals just top it off. Catchy (though, I hate to use the word there's no other adjective as fitting as that) vocal patterns and straight forward lyrics make this a track to get your heart beating, your blood rushing and your mind set on one thing; destruction. Aska, whilst not depressive black metal by any means, really shine on this release; and are the first band to split with Hypothermia, and as much as I hate to say this, really outdone what Hypothermia had released.

In conclusion of this short review, it's simply a mediocre split. If you're getting this split for the Hypothermia track, don't get your hopes up; I'm not saying don't get it, it's worth a listen. But the Aska track is quite a surprise, though nothing overly special, just in comparison to a sub-par Melakoli does it barely out do it.