Non Opus Dei & Morowe: "Dziwki Dwie"

Impressive and different black metal from Poland, taking jabs at the inadequacies of the established scene

In the case of this split EP by Polish country-mates Non Opus Dei and Morowe there's a little more going on than the old "two bands getting together to release something" schtick. Non Opus Dei have been gracing Europe with several old school black metal albums since the late 90s, their sound representative for the time, if at times venturing further. Morowe, in the same manner, are a product of their times, only they are a much younger band. These guys are definitely not afraid of pushing the boundaries of black metal, and together these two groups represent old and new.

Amnion & Balmog: "Grim Repulse of the Southern Lodge"

Spanish duo in collaboratory split release

In 2013, two Spanish black metal bands - Both with a history exceeding a decade of active music making - got together to create the split Grim Repulse of the Southern Lodge. The bands Amnion from Zaragoza and Balmog from Galicia aren't exactly polar opposites of each other, but at the same time they are quite different. 

Twilight Fauna & Filsufatia: "Fallen Leaves in a Tide of Sorrow"

As an international effort, this split shows that failure has no nationality

Though the black metal genre is rich in history, for better or worse, many amateur musicians now seek musical refuge in hugely simplified riffs hidden behind veils of distortion and ambience. These one-man "bedroom" bands are deservedly so notorious for being awful beyond comprehension.

Various Artists: "8-Way for Destroy the Music"

Living life on the edge of music

In many ways music has become progressively more aggressive over time. There will always be individuals who seek to push the boundaries, and others asking if we have finally hit rock bottom. With genres like powerviolence and grindcore is it even possible for music to be more extreme without seizing to be music? The bands featured on this split are certainly pushing the limit with their individual mixes of grindcore, noise and droning industrial. They call it noisecore, and the term says it all for this 8-band split album.

Krotchripper & Mass Murder Messiah: "Split"

The brutal death of cavemen

Brutal death metal as a genre has had a huge surge in popularity in the last few years. The genre has been subjected to much musical advancement and has changed from the lo-fi production of the 90's to a more clean sound during the 00's. Krotchripper and Mass Murder Messiah in a sense represent much of what modern brutal death metal stands for.