Nunslaughter / Dr. Shrinker

So I've heard a lot of these Nunslaughter split records, I mean if you like this band at all you probably got a whole mess of them. It makes sense, because like half of thier massive discography is made up of splits like these, but not too many display very much diversity, which is certainly not the case with the record on hand.

Nunslaughter seem to have a tendency to outshine almost every band they do a split with, at least for the most part. They are after all true veterans of the death metal scene, but it does seem like many of the bands they choose to do releases with are picked because they fit into a so called "image" of what a true underground metal band should be, be it really satanic or evil or whatever. Often times many of these bands are pretty good but are extremley lacking in substance because they try to hard to to be kvlt or some other bullshit that really doesn't matter. Many people criticize Nunslaughter for this exact reason, but at least they do it with a sense of humor and a genuine love for playing and performing this style of music.

That being said their side of this record is pretty much what you would expect from them-some dirty old school death metal, that while being overtly simple in nature, is extremley effective and unlike a lot of this style of death metal, actually FUN to listen to. "Ouija" is a particularly strong number from them, with some bouncy rhythms to complement the catchy riff at the chorus, as well as some fine shrieking to go with the doomy outro. "I Saw Your God Die" is another ripping fast Nunslaughter excercise, with an awesome old school punk mosh riff at the mid section.

Dr. Shrinker is a different beast all together. Their side consists of a single unreleased demo track from 1990. Although it is only one track it is rather long, and incredibly diverse for a single song. I'd hate to use the word progressive, but I guess it is rather fitting, as the musicianship on display is at times rather impressive, and this band does cover a wide range of music within a single tune. The riffs can go from seething brutality, to ripping fast, but its all done in a manner I've never really heard before. You can tell these guys were influenced by a lot of different stuff and were determined to create something truly unique within the death metal genre. The vocals are fuckin whacked too, consisting mainly of a bizarre mocking cackle that is also at times very shrieky, but is backed occasionly by lower deathly growls. Its all pretty amazing, if a bit hard to really pin down or describe. Im reminded at times of a band like Demilich, at least in the respect that few bands of this era coupled complete brutality with a lust for experimentation and unbridled creativity.

That being said, your average Nunslaughter maniac probably won't even like Dr. Shrinker, as they completly break the mold as far as underground metal is concerned. But if you are a little more open minded, you can appreciate both bands for what they really are, just a couple of great bands with a passion for music. I'd say this is pretty essential as far as Nunslaughter's discography is concerned, and of top of everything, the 2008 re-release picture disc 7 inch from Hell's Headbangers looks awesome, so collectors should get on top of this record pretty soon.