Mörser / The Swarm

This is a legendary split seven-inch featuring two of the best extreme hardcore bands of the late nineties. On one side, Mörser’s contribution came a year after their awesome debut album ("Two Hours to Doom"), and they wouldn't release anything else for another three years. On the other side, this was the first recording by The Swarm (from Canada). They would follow this up with their relentless "Parasitic Skies" EP a year later.

Mörser's two songs show a subtle evolution from their album. Both of these songs reach the two minute mark, making them twice as long as the average track on "Two Hours to Doom". Mörser are still playing grindcore here, but other influences come to light. "Spiral of Pain" offers more of the brutal, screaming ‘emo’ sound that was occasionally deployed on the album. It sounds more like something from Systral's "Fever" than anything Mörser did previously. "Nemesis" has more of a metal feel, with some Slayer scales appearing half-way through. The second half of the song even has some melody, not something normally associated with Mörser. The production is almost as good as it was on "Two Hours to Doom", although the bass drum feels different, less natural. I wonder if it was triggered.

The Swarm were more typically hardcore than Mörser, but no less extreme. The three songs here are full of raging fast sections (hardly any blasting) and life-affirming chugs. The best song is "Smooth Running Order" and its chug-filled climax. There was a tinge of metal in the thickness of the guitar sound, but they retained a punk rock aesthetic throughout. They could never be mistaken for a ‘metalcore’ band. The production is almost identical to the one they would achieve on “Parasitic Skies”; bassy, with boxy drums and massive crashing cymbal sounds. I find a band like The Swarm far more energetic and intense than most grind and powerviolence bands out there. If you ever wanted to know why bands like Nails sound so angry, listen to The Swarm.

These two bands sound as fresh now as they ever did. It is difficult to pick a winner. I would probably go for The Swarm because of my affection for “Smooth Running Order”. The Swarm managed a better production than Mörser here, and the latter’s bass drum sound annoys me slightly. This split seven-inch might be less essential than "Two Hours to Doom" and "Parasitic Skies", but it is still wonderful.