A Secret Death/From TheseWounds - A Split CD

Thu 12th May, 2005 in Music Reviews

The hardcore/metalcore genre definitely has a way of making my blood pump a hundred times faster than normal. The energy and adrenalin felt in the heaviness of the music and the vocals is inspiring and encourages every inch of the body to move along with this emphatic noise. Aussie-core is currently a strong underground development striving to make it to the surface of the contemporary music scene and it is with the likes of bands such as A Secret Death and From These Wounds where this genre has the potential to take-off and dominate.

A Split CD is an release containing two songs from A Secret Death (Nathan – vocals; Scott – guitar; Simon – bass; and James – drums) and then two songs by From These Wounds. Both bands formed in late 2002, and undoubtedly collaborating the bands on the one EP is a cheaper way of doing things, but it also has the effect of letting the listener get a sense of two bands representing the same music genre at once. Additionally, it makes it hard not to compare the bands but at the same time it allows the listener to form a better opinion to liking the music or not.

A Secret Death’s first track is Peach Pit and the song is probably the least favourable on the album but is still a pretty cool track. The music is decently heavy with the drum having a very tinny ring to it. The breakdown in this song does not quite have the headbanging effect that most tend to have but it still sounds okay. The vocals are not of the strongest quality with a lot of work needed to be felt in the power of the vocals, because at the moment it is sounding a bit of washed and dried.

A Secret Death’s second contribution is Muirhead which is a much more promising song. Muirhead sees a mixing of the vocals with the still not-so-convincing deeper screams, mixed with the more intense sound of high-pitched screams which make your heart yearn for more. The higher screams are far more powerful and compliment this song. The song also plays with some melodic vocals towards the end which gives the song a sense of narrative that has a heaviness reaching a climax right before the end. Overall this is a great song and a much better indication of what this band is capable of then what was heard previously.

From These Wounds contributed the most appealing sound on A Split CD. Their first song Embrace The Grey straight away introduces a double kick that immediately drags you into the momentum and energy of the song. The hard-hitting vocals are well polished and are definitely a compliment to the powerful music that is displayed in the guitar riffs and the drums. The music holds you in the firing line throughout the songs entirety but the breakdown in particular is extremely heavy and satisfies whatever crave you might have for some downright heavy shit.

The band’s Courting Pandora is the last song here and is another great hardcore production. The doublekick is steady throughout and the song which is also full of mini breakdowns that create an ambience of heavy hardcore-mania which will have a crowd bouncing from one side of a room to another. The metal guitar riffs are also a highlight and is a seemingly good indication of the all-roundedness and versatility that From These Wounds has with their music.

A Split CD is a great release to highlight the promise of two upcoming hardcore bands on the Australian music scene. Judging by the quality A Secret Death and From These Wounds are definitely bands to look out for in the future and hopefully they stick around long enough to do numerous tours and produce us some quality hardcore albums.