Here’s a rule of thumb: if a piece of music makes you go “holy shit” in the first minute of its runtime, you should a) listen to it all the way through and b) try to tell as many people about it as you can. With Agvirre‘s and Dead Cosmonauts‘s upcoming split, Eye of Mirrors, doing a) was simple enough, since the release is only two tracks long. And now I’m doing b), since the release really did make me go “holy shit” in under a minute. That’s owed to the incredible vocal/blastbeats/guitar assault which ushers in Agvirre’s opening contribution to this release. What ensues is some of the best post-black I’ve heard in a long time, with brilliant strings, great screams, and just an overall intensity that’s hard to resist.
But make sure you remember that a) includes you listening to the thing all the way through because Dead Cosmonauts track is just as brilliant, albeit from an entirely different direction. You see, the Sheffield based post-rock ensemble decided to adapt Vangelis’ legendary “Blade Runner (End Credits)” for this release and they adapted it in their style. They take this already magnificent and sprawling track and imbue it with all the trappings of good post-rock/metal, namely resonating build ups, bristling crescendos, and majestic guitar tones.
The two tracks couldn’t be further apart in tone, tempo, and delivery and yet, something in both of them shines through stronger together. Perhaps it’s the case that the opening track steals your breath away while the second one allows you to slowly catch it back. Or maybe the tracks just work better through the principle of contrast, setting each other off with its different shades of forceful delivery. Whatever’s the case, this split is one of the most promising releases out of two independent bands that I’ve heard in a while and I can’t wait to see where they both go next. Head on down below to stream the thing in full and pre-order it ahead of its Friday release. You won’t regret it.