Arnø x Duebel/Crystal Methodist (Knockentapes)

I have been rather excited to sit down and review this split since the day it arrived at my front door. Some of Germany’s meanest Powerviolence comes from the vicious Arnø x Duebel from Plauen. And meeting them in this clash of Noise we have New Hampshire’s own Crystal Methodist! From the outset, we are greeted with a cover depicting people who are clearly protesting some form of Human Indecency at the hands of a Police State. A classic Powerviolence cover art choice, it never seems to get old. Now, diving into the Noise of this tangy little slab of wax; Arnø x Duebel start things off with a heavy hitting Intro that is certainly going to get you pumped up. Every song on this side of the split is heavy in some unique way. Degenerated is a ripping fast song that is on the border of being Fastcore if I am being honest. The samples they use throughout this release fit so perfectly with each song, almost like a puzzle. Blame comes in swinging a 10 pound hammer right into your face with little remorse. Not a single song from this side of the split breaks the one minute mark and each one hits harder than the last. This band is so fierce and has such a bright future ahead of them; definitely do not sleep on them. And now we move onto Crystal Methodist, starting off slow and droning with Mass Manipulation. What a haunting intro piece to this side of the split, it’s so somber and bleak. Getting By immediately picks up the pace and puts everything into high gear, full of Hardcore Punk Energy and Big riffs it’s sure to please. Fraud kicks off without any remorse, but it’s so short and bittersweet. And closing out the split we have Dragged Down which once again dives right into that classic Hardcore feel, full of emotion and energy. All in all this was definitely a split I’m happy to have gotten a hold of. 2018 delivered a lot of gems and this certainly is hidden well among them all. Rating: 7/10 Arnø X Duebel fb Crystal Methodist fb

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