I don't often bother listening to splits, almost entirely because I'm lazy and pedantic and don't like how such multi band affairs wind up sorting in whatever media player I'm using, which is a dumb reason but I'm a dumb person so it checks out. Anyway my inbox as been full of doom lately, which generally isn't my bag as much as the more overtly energetic and extreme ends of metal, but I've said a hundred times before that it can produce some of the best metal of all time when done correctly so I always give it a chance when it appears.
Thankfully, this split is a firm example of "done correctly", because all six tracks between both bands here are powerful and punishing. Most importantly, both Cardinals Folly and Lucifer's Fall go the extra mile and remember that "tune low, play slow" isn't the beginning and end of what makes doom metal great. Far too many bands just focus on those two facets of the ethos and wind up producing mega boring non-songs with nothing going on within them. Sometimes they'll rip off Electric Wizard instead and add "six thousand layers of fuzz" to the mix, but for the most part the doom scene seems to be completely inundated with old souls who fail to capture the spirit of greats like Sabbath and Trouble simply because they forget that the genre lives and dies on great riffs far more than a rigid adherence to tempo and mood.
Cardinals Folly, thankfully, washes away my ingrained cynicism in the opening minutes of "Walvater Proclaimed!" by rocking out with a riff that hammers like the final nail in a crucifix. Of the two bands on display, Cardinals Folly definitely plays more into their Finnish roots and emulates Reverend Bizarre to an almost insane degree. The almost sermon-like baritone of the vocals guides the listener through slow, drudging, dirty riffs that call to mind their most obvious influence with aplomb. Each of their three tracks is exceedingly moody, with a world-weary veil of apathetic malice. If there's any flaw, it's that they emulate their obvious heroes a bit too much with "Sworn Through Odin's and Satan's Blood" getting dangerously close to breaching the ten minute mark. It's not too horribly much of a problem because it stays heavy and menacing throughout, but it can start to wear on you in the last few minutes.
However, Lucifer's Fall stands a hair above as the better band on display. Instead of the cold gloom of Finland, these guys hail from the scorching hellscape of Australia, and their cultural heritage shines through in being much filthier and booze-soaked. They tend to keep the tempo a few ticks higher without ever really forgetting where they came from, so they take their slow pumping doom and give it a shot in the arm. "The Gates of Hell" showcases some of their more traditional heavy metal leanings with some punishing aggression, but "Die Witch, Die" is generally slower and more pounding. I think what truly sets them over the edge for me is Phil Howlett, whose voice carries this fucking gnarly, King Buzzo-esque chainsmoking rattle that adds a fuckload of grit to the music. This is the kind of doom I just eat up. It's raw and dangerous and just feels forbidden somehow, like you just stumbled into some blood orgy beneath a rank dive bar. It's the same kind of dark occultism that makes Hour of 13 so great, but with a few more goatpriests, ashtrays, and whiskey shots.
So yeah, despite not really bringing a whole lot of new ideas to the table, Cardinals Folly and Lucifer's Fall have combined forces to deliver one of the best releases of the year so far, which is pretty impressive considering splits rarely seem to aspire to such a level. But here we are with two great hates that hate great together, seamlessly blending their slightly different brands of occult taboo with heaps of excellent riffs and just damn well written songs. Hail yourselves.
RATING: 89%
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