Tuesday 18 August 2015

The Last Words Of A Dying Planet by Tides of Sulfur / The Air Turned To Acid (Split EP Review)


Release date: July 03rd 2015. Label: F H E D/HIbernacula Records. Formats: CD/DD/Cassette Tape

The last words of a dying planet: Tracklisting

1.Tides of Sulfur - Lord of flies 02:55
2.Tides of Sulfur - Crawling through a pit of ash and bone 07:20
3.The Air turned to Acid - Sisyphus 03:40
4.The Air turned to Acid - Glandroid 06:32

Tides Of Sulfur - Band Members:

Anthony 'Snake' O'Shea-Shredding/Apparitions
Chris Bull-Throat/Low-End Assault/Noise
Tom Lee-Battery

The Air Turned To Acid – Band Members

Leonid: Guitars
William: Guitars:
Andrew: Bass Guitars
Trevor: Percussion
Richard: Vocals

Review:

Tides Of Sulfur and the brilliantly named The Air Turned To Acid are easily two of my favourite bands in action at the moment so the news that after their first billing together at last years Doomfest event in the doom capital of England (You guessed it, High Wycombe) pleased me greatly.

With two tracks from each band and one collaboration, you certainly get your money's worth from this brilliantly brutal split.

Tides Of Sulfur kick things off with "Lord Of The Flies" which tears out of the speakers and forces itself violently into your face and doesn't let up until the minute the track slams on the brakes to a sudden stop.

Track two "Crawling Through A Pit Of Ash And Bone" is an altogether different beast. The title of the track should give away to you that this song is just a touch slower.
Riffs as thick as tar bury the listener beneath their weight as the vocals alternate between the harsh higher pitched screams and lower deathly growls with ease, while the ever present drum Apocalypse controls the track until around the five minute mark when the tempo picks up literally for a minute before dropping back into a perfectly judged riff, which fades in and out as it concludes.

Disinherited is the collaboration (credited as Sulfur Gimp and Acid Gimp) and works well to split the ep nicely between the two bands alternating styles. It's a kind of weird instrumental, industrial sound effect with spoken word over the top that frankly makes me feel a little bit unsettled when I listen to it. But I think that was the point.......

Over to TATTA to see what they can deliver. They deliver filth. By the bucket.

First (or fourth however you want to look at it) track Sisyphus doesn't waste any time in continuing the demolition job that TOS started. Angular, heavy discordant riffs crashing about while vocalist Richard Repper basically loses his shit over the top. You can practically hear the disgust in his voice as he spits the vocals at you.

Final track "Glandroid" delivers much more of the same but for longer. Just in case you hadn't got the fucking message yet. I'm a big fan of the vocals in this track and the way they are layered together, which when added to the huge wall of sound the rest of TATTA provides just leaves you feeling ruined by the end of it.

A great addition to the scene and anyone who caught them at this years Red Sun Festival in Cardiff will testify to why there is a fair bit of buzz about both these bands right now. A vicious split ep that captures two very different bands in fine form.

Pick up a copy of the ep on CD from HIbernacula Records or a very limited cassette from FHED while you still can. You won't regret it.

Words by Simon Ross Williams

Tides Of Sulfur Links:


The Air Turns To Acid Links: