Malthusian/Suffering Hour – Time’s Withering Shadow – Split (Review)

Malthusian are from Ireland and Suffering Hour are from the US. Both play blackened death metal, and they have teamed up for this split release.

Malthusian start us off and offer up two tracks, with a total duration of 20 minutes.

Dissolution of Consciousness opens the split with a thick malevolent groove. The song is a whirlwind of chaos and twisted nightmare. Some of the riffs are lethally sharp, while others are suffocating in their intensity. Still others are just bestial snarls of feral savagery, much like the inhuman vocals. Within this song you’ll find a multitude of ideas and grim intentions, and Malthusian have done well to tie it all together so well.

Delirium features guest vocals by two additional singers, (one from Primordial), and is in some ways a slower, more atmospheric work than the previous track, (which in itself wasn’t lacking these qualities). Infused deeply with sinister dread, the song crawls malignantly forwards, terrifying all that cross its path.

Malthusian have impressed with their side of this release.

Suffering Hour deliver three tracks, with a total duration of 20 minutes.

Crawling Embers starts Suffering Hour’s side off with an instrumental, showcasing an unexpected side to the band, featuring acoustic guitars and harmonica. The song has a dark Americana feel to it, setting an unsettling tone that’s as infectious as it is immersive. Exceptional.

Temporal Lapse is an exercise in warped dissonance. It’s akin to the material on the The Cyclic Reckoning, only with an experimental streak, (which includes a banjo section). Suffering Hour have an idiosyncratic approach to their guitars, and they deliver the goods once more, (on this and on the previous track). Overall the song has a strange, abyssal rock and roll feel, despite being clearly a black/death monster. Regardless, it’s another top track from the band.

Reserection is a Mighty Sphincter cover. Apparently the original was a death rock song – I haven’t heard it, so I can’t say how faithful this version is to the original. I’ll guess that the vocals aren’t very faithful at least, as they’re savage utterances and growls. The song is a corrupt rock song of sorts, as if Suffering Hour’s daemonic personality has been stamped on someone else’s music. Which is exactly what has happened, I suppose.

This is a very strong split from two quality practitioners of the black/death metal arts. Make sure you check this one out.

Find out more here.