Two of the strongest Death Metal acts of the last 10 years have teamed up to each release a brand new single as part of a split release, courtesy of Relapse Records.
Outer Heaven flexes some new found Pennsylvania Death Metal muscle courtesy of new recruit Jake Wehn on drums (Cynic [Live], Carrion, Relapsed). ‘The Burden of Being’ is still well within the beloved Outer Heaven Death Metal sound, but Jake’s precise yet organic approach to his dynamic drumming sound gives some serious punch to the song. Longtime guitarists Jon Kunz and Zak Carter sound just as sharp as Jake, with all parts being executed on a new level of precision. The band chose to work with AJ Viana (Hath, Cognitive, etc.) on the release and the fresh production work really accents the new found power Outer Heaven is wielding. This split was the perfect time to debut a new member and new production angle, and leaves this longtime pre-Relapse fan hungry for more.
The flip side of this split comes from none other than Detroit’s Death Doom stalwarts Temple of Void. Their side of the Split features a more alternative side of their Death Doom; think of other songs from their discography like ‘Leave the Light Behind’ or ‘Soulburn’, where the band boasts dark vocal passages free of growls or grunts and catchier, groove heavy sections. The song feels like an early 2000’s alternative/gaze/rock sound more so than punishing and crippling Death/Doom, but I think it suits the band well and a split is a place to push the boundaries and lay it all out on the table (per se). Their “guardrail free” approach to writing heavy music is incredibly refreshing. I found the tune very catchy and easy to come back to. Unclear whether this was a standalone track recorded specifically for this release but based on liner notes and their previous record ‘The Crawl’ timeframe and credits, I will make the assumption this was a leftover track from those sessions.
