Ancst / King Apathy

Through Alerta Antifascista Records comes a split between two highly emotive German neocrust bands, Ancst and King Apathy. Both bands deliver one original track and a cover of the other participating band (though it should be noted that Ancst covers a Thränenkind track, which is what King Apathy was called before changing names in 2017). Though both bands are certainly rooted in some type of metallic, crusty form of music, they bring vastly different results, yet the sounds fit together like a glove, allowing the split a cohesive sound not usually obtained when two bands are brought together.

Ancst begins with their original track, “Gehenna of Fire”, which merges both eras of the band's past into one dark and melancholic tour de force. To those not familiar with Ancst's previous material, it mostly consists of energetic blackened crust, though a few outliers of ambient/drone are sprinkled throughout. The track makes use of a finely crafted chunk of foreboding ambient before diving headlong into a mix of caustic blackened crust, melodic metalcore and post-black metal. It's followed by the band's cover of Thränenkind's “King Apathy”(which King Apathy named themselves after), which is a little faster and more up front, but it certainly has more of a late '90s hardcore/screamo vibe to it, though the melodic guitar licks throughout are pretty cool.

King Apathy's track, “Disguise”, is a lot more upbeat than Ancst's side of the split, delivering a dirty take on melodic hardcore. The guitar work is relatively clean, evoking the likes of Guilt or even Drive Like Jehu at times, though the percussion and vocals are equally unhinged, with the drums delivering nonstop fills and the vocals sounding like tormented, raspy growls. Their cover of Ancst's “Entropie” is a much heavier and harder hitting track than their original, even if it is somewhat slower than the original version. The flowing trem riffing and d-beat percussion are a nice fit for King Apathy's approach and really makes me wish the band would focus on something a little more blackened than their usual fare.

Two of Germany's frontrunners in the blackened neocrust scene, Ancst and King Apathy unleash a pretty cool split. While Ancst delivers the goods across the board, King Apathy's original track doesn't stand up quite as strong. That being said, King Apathy's version of the Ancst track is really good, but that kind of just bolsters how good Ancst is these days. This is a no-brainer for fans of the bands, but those new to either might want to look elsewhere to see what both bands can really do.