SPLIT REVIEW: Jade / Sanctuarium – The Sempiternal Wound

Two of the more atmospherics Death Metal bands from Spain’s underground have joined forces. With a crushing new split to come via Pulverised Records and Iron Fortress Records on September 13th.

Jade ominously start things off with eerie soundscapes. Their enormous waves of intense riffing and impassioned vocals atop superb percussion instantly take me back to their excellent album from a couple years back. The catatonic swaying atmosphere meets pulverising aggression in savage harmony to deliver a wonderfully dynamic style of Death Metal with magnificent melodies and straightforward ferocity interwoven gloriously. The duel vocal stylings of J blend those macabre snarls and abyssal howls beautifully. These sit in those aforementioned riffs with their warm execution very comfortably as the tight drum work holds the mix together. Jade has a truly formidable sound that fans of Bølzer and The Ruins Of Beverast will certainly adore. Those pounding rhythms and melodious guitars beat the strings of cavernous extremity while utilising this atmospheric resplendence to achieve a unique and wholly consuming soundscape. Often bands who set out for such things lose their bite, but Jade still feels like a Death Metal band when all is said and done, something that ensures folks like myself are not alienated. Indeed their three new offerings live up to the quality of the last record and show the band still have some fantastic ideas. Now, let us see what fellow Spanish underground dwellers Santuarium are up to…

Sanctuarium have a lot to live up to after those Jade songs, but having also recently heard their upcoming sophomore full length “Melted and Decomposed” (which is absolutely crushing and I would like to recommend that as well), I know they can do it. Eldritch riffs exhume the grave with filthy tones as the rotten drums boom from the earthy depths. Their mangled and grotesque old school Death Metal is saturated with a fetid doom to counter the brighter soundscapes of their split-mates with a more dragging, churning sense of charnel decay. Two longer songs allow Sanctuarium to explore the catacombs of eerie and rotten sound while having room for d-beat punishment to give a disgustingly heavy groove to their tracks. Whatever the tempo, these guys keep it putrescent for their 18 minutes of glorious gore. More akin to Autopsy, Cianide and the like, old schoolers are going to be banging their heads ’til the flesh falls off and the brains seep out when they hear the latest Sanctuarium material (both here and on that upcoming LP I mentioned). A very different and equally beloved take on Death Metal that sends this split from the stratospheric propulsions of Jade into the most sepulchral tombs with Sanctuarium. A devastating experience from both bands indeed.

Spain has a rich history of underground Extreme Metal that seems just as healthy today as ever. This dual assault of morbidity is a great example. Two very different bands delivering a singular offering of crushing Death Metal, harnessing diverse approaches and making something amazing together. As a fan of both bands I adored this split, but those who are yet to discover them have a great starting place to dig into two killer bands right here. Definitely a worthy listen.