EP REVIEW: A Thousand Reflections – SPLIT
Lego, liquorice and hardcore, Danish quintet SPLIT put their scene on the map with their second EP A Thousand Reflections.
While more famous for Hans Christian Andersen and Flødeboller than hardcore, the Danish extreme underground has already given us acts such as blackgaze darlings MØL and noisy metallic hardcore band EYES, following in their footsteps SPLIT deliver an intense and eclectic sound on their sophomore EP A Thousand Reflections. With some extremely special guests and a sound that mixes the aggression of modern hardcore with the swagger of the late 90s nu-metal explosion, SPLIT bring the Danish hardcore underground to the main stage with their latest EP.
After the unexpectedly experimental opening track The Sheep, consisting of various distorted vocal samples against a backdrop of ambient guitars and swirling synths, the EP begins in earnest with The Shepherd, a perfect introduction to SPLIT’s uniquely intense sound. Taking a few tentative steps forwards with its steady opening riff, The Shepherd then breaks out into a panicked sprint with clashing distorted guitars and lightning fast percussion, bringing the pace back down for an ambient pre-breakdown buildup and a crushing, mosh-starting finale. While fans of bands like KNOCKED LOOSE are sure to feel right at home around SPLIT’s mammoth riffs and growled vocals, the Danish five-piece set themselves apart with a unique ear for dynamics and an ability to push hardcore into new genres without losing any momentum.
Plenty of heavy bands including BLACK SABBATH and ZEAL & ARDOR have named a song after themselves, SPLIT use their self-titled track as a threatening introduction. Throwing everything they have at the wall with DJ scratches, intense riffs and repeated screams of “Split motherfucker”, this track is the perfect stomping, spin-kicking initiation to the violent world of SPLIT.
Despite delivering plenty of standout moments on their own, SPLIT bring in a couple of very special guests on A Thousand Reflections to elevate their sound. The track Greater Than God sees Danish death metal legends NECKBREAKKER join for a verse, spitting venomous barbs while SPLIT rile up the crowd with a chugging breakdown. Sunk Cost Fallacy introduces a hip-hop swagger to SPLIT’s usual hardcore sound before collapsing into a brutal duet between frontman Benjamin Jeppesen and DEFIANCE HC vocalist Sabrina Chaparo. While it’s clear that SPLIT could easily carry this EP on their own, these guest vocalists add yet another layer of ferocious energy to their tracks.
In the oversaturated modern hardcore landscape Denmark’s SPLIT offer a refreshingly untamed approach to the genre, refusing to be held to strict conventions, instead bringing in elements of hip-hop, sludge, metalcore and nu-metal for a brutal, boundary pushing sound. The five-piece’s second EP A Thousand Reflections stands out as one of the year’s most unique and fierce hardcore releases so far.
Rating: 8/10
A Thousand Reflections is set for release on May 15th via Prime Collective.
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