Back in 2020 Iron Bonehead Productions put out a nasty little split release between two of the Commonwealth’s most barbaric War Metal acts, Canadian trio Antediluvian and Kiwi quartet Heresiarch, with the resulting chaos being put out on both CD and LP under the title ‘Defleshing the Serpent Infinity’.
Five tracks are on offer here and the first three belong to the New Zealanders who waste little time in rushing headlong into the savage guitar lead territory of ‘Lupine Epoch’, helped along the way by a cacophony of insanity causing drumming and the raw, harbinger of death and evil vocal work as well as thick, thundering bass lines. ‘Excarnation’ likewise brings no relief from the sonic bombardment and punishing oppressive tones from this fearsome single minded Black/Metal leviathan. Heresiarch finish their side of the split with the aptly entitled ‘No Sanctuary’ which oddly enough brings an end to the fearsome barrage of drum tones and riffs and instead creates far more potent and ominous sounding ambient track that promises only doom and war and death!
As those dark tones fade, Antediluvian’s psychotic bedlam of vocal insanity, chaotic drum tones and savagely wielded guitar leads form to wreak havoc in a maelstrom of noise and carnage. under produced and far less coherent than Heresiarch, the two tracks on offer from the Canadian side of this split take a far greater level of tolerance to bare. Well, ‘Slipstream of Leviathan’s Wake’ does, the final track, ‘Prelude’ is a sombre piano piece with bombs and artillery exploding in the background. As useful a summary to this release than I could come up with. (Marksson)
