ORDEALS hail from New York City, and specialize in a proud 'n' powerful sort of death metal. Laced with an almost mournful melodicism bordering on the blackened, their two central tracks here (plus intro and outro) whip forth a thrashing fury that uniquely retain a certain finesse and poise. With just a previous EP to their name, ORDEALS continue their vibrant trajectory with this split. DAETHORN similarly have a sparse catalog, but the one-man French entity's history actually stretches back to 1997, with the release of a debut demo, and then a split tape in 2002. Thus, DAETHORN's three tracks here are the band's first tracks in literally forever, but what a grim 'n' garish churn the selfsame mainman creates! Nodding as much to turn-of-the-millennium black metal from his homeland as well as the contemporaneous orthodox scene, DAETHORN's attack sounds remarkably fresh and timeless in equal measures.
