Eris / Chikara / Dishate - 3 Way Split

Split releases are something of a conundrum for me. I've released several, I own a crap ton, and I just can't pinpoint exactly what their purpose is. The social aspect of having two or three bands with small followings collaborating on a release is tempting. This is even more-so the case when on a split with a high-profile act. A good split has bands which complement each other, don't sound the same, are equal in overall quality, and can expect each of their fan-bases to find something worthwhile in the other band or bands' offerings. An example of a split release done extremely well would be something like the Altar of the Old Skulls 3-way split with Deathevokation, Mandatory, and Kingdom. While Deathevokation proves to have the strongest tracks ("Embers of a Dying World" being a total beast of a track), Mandatory and Kingdom fit right at home, and are well served feasting at the same table.

For all the positive potential opportunities, there is also a sense of competition. It is impossible not to compare the quality of the bands on the split to determine what material stands out. Why would a band with a crappy recording put their songs on a split tape with bands with much better recordings? Doesn't that show one band in a negative light against the other bands on the split? I think personally I would much rather listen to a three or four song EP from a single band than listen to a ten or twelve song split tape with three bands on it; focusing on one band's specific qualities becomes much easier in this format. Going back to the previously mentioned split, this is entirely the case with Mandatory, whose Curse of the Undead demo alone is more impactful than following Deathevokation. The impact which bands can have on each other is especially true on this split featuring Eris and Dishate from Serbia and Chikara, a mixture of Swedish and Bosnian musicians.

This split ambles out of the gate with a handful of tracks from Serbians Eris. I personally am not truly impressed with their raw black metal punches, especially the first two tracks, though I can see some hope for the band after better efforts, "Unholy" and "The Coming of Darkness". There are no lyrics available in the cassette insert, but it doesn't take a doctorate in English to take a stab at the thematic content. I admire the rawness but a lot is to be desired. Another issue for Eris is that it sounds like these tracks are taken from numerous recordings. The opening two tracks are thin and low volume wise, "Unholy" is darker and deeper with more bass. "The Coming of Darkness" is likely the best production-wise with clear vocals, and lo-fi but clear guitars and drums. The track is the most complete as well, with definitive opening movement, numerous interesting transitional phrases, and well-composed melodic flow. It is difficult to hear the kick drum, which would have likely made this track very noteworthy. Eris includes two covers as well. One of these is a cover of Havohej's cult classic "Dethrone The Son Of God" and a Mortician cover. I found the inclusion of the Mortician cover a strange choice for the raw black metal band.

The four Chikara tracks thankfully fly by. For a total of eight minutes, bashing and hammering of drums, muffled screams, and what sounds like improvised guitars get their chance to swim. My hope is that Chikara sinks into the abyss and fail to resurface in the pond that is extreme music at least until I have gone deaf. The opening three tracks of their release include almost a full minute of silence as an intro to "Insane Fucker", the endless rattling of awkward incapable drumming, riffs with no defined beginning or end, and raspy yelping drivel splashed across the surface of the tracks like some unknown liquid on the wall of a gas-station toilet stall. I searched high and low for something worthy of fragmentary positive mention and found not a single meritorious quality present in any moment of Chikara's tracks. Absolute trash. Their portion of this split is wasted tape. I tried really hard to like aspects of "Wounded and Bleeding" but just couldn't stomach the disorganization of rhythms, horrific vocals, and purposeless composition.

The last band on this split, Dishate, even themselves a substandard mix of grind and death metal, proves too much for Eris and Chikara to compete with. The five grinding tracks are the best produced of all the bands present and were originally recorded for Dishate's debut EP. Compared to Eris and Chikara, Dishate sound like the veteran band on the split, even though they had been in existence for only a year at the time this material was recorded. What I particularly picked out was the awesome bass tone on "Realize the Matter", which almost sounds mechanical. Each note is discernible and highlighted with a percussive hollow clanking which reverberates across the tracks. "Nothing Less" is probably my pick of the litter. The last of their tracks, "Grindignation" sounds totally different than the previous tracks. Gone is the unique and awesome bass tone which I adored so much. The vocals sound more aggressive and spiteful on the track, but the guitar tone is washed out. Though better than Eris and miles ahead of Chikara, Dishate still don't impress me all that much.

So this tape is a pretty mixed bag, an inevitable situation when the structure of a format pressures the listener to compare, even subconsciously, what is worthwhile and what isn't. For the losers, Eris and Chikara (the worst of all), the comparable quality displayed by Dishate highlights even more that there is no reason for further investigation into their music. Why would someone purposefully look into the worst bands on a release like this? The same thing applies to compilation CDs as well. Why would I want to listen to the worst band when given other options? I don't believe that Chikara would honestly believe their music on this split is better than Dishate's or even Eris'. Even Dishate's music barely interests me when separated out and listened to as if it was the original EP. Somehow, the other bands make Dishate sound worse simply by association. Even worst of all, I doubt I will want to go and see if Grim Reaper Records has any other worthy releases based on this tape. The label can't even spell their name right on the j-card. Focus your attention elsewhere... if you like C or D-grade grindcore, maybe give Dishate a spin.