Moloch / Haggatha – split EP

Two sludge heavy weights on one piece of vinyl. Nice! This split with two songs on it shows the diversity of the genre in my opinion. Both bands operate on the doomy side of the spectrum, but have a distinctive sound.

Let’s start with side Moloch. They have been very active releasing a slew of split albums and one full length so far, so perhaps you’ve heard of them already. One of the things that sets them apart from the competition are the vocals. Where most bands opt for death metal style vocals or more screamed vocals Moloch go for a screech-like sound. Very harsh and sometimes bordering on overdoing it. I don’t know too many bands doing this. It’s a love it or hate it sound. I dig it. Does that make this a good song? No it doesn’t. But it does help creating a sound that is a bit different. Don’t worry, the songwriting is great and helps to create a niche for this band in this crowded genre. Head of coil is definitely worth your time. What I think makes this song so cool is the tempo change in the middle of the song. It starts of as pure slow sludge and then… BAM! It hits you in the face by speeding things up a bit. Don’t expect powerviolence tempos though, as the increase in speed is really minimal, but it’s just enough to deliver that punch. This works out really well for them.

Up next is Haggatha. Also weathered and seasoned by now. Their albums and EP’s have been numbered until now. This split EP breaks that tradition and makes me wonder if they will call their next release V or VI. We’ll see. The vocal approach of Haggatha is the more traditional death metal growl, switching pitch now and then. Their singer has just the perfect voice for it. On total this side of the split is a bit more gentle as Haggatha adds a bit more melody to their sound than Moloch. This makes Time and suffering a bit more accessible. Where accessible is relative…

When it comes to splits there’s usually one side I like better than the other. With this split I couldn’t tell you which side I prefer. I enjoy the Haggatha song a wee bit better perhaps, but the Moloch artwork is a bit more to my likings. I’ll call it a draw. The great thing about both bands is that, even though both songs last between four and six and a halve minutes they feel like they’re over before you know it. This is how much both bands drag you into their doomy and gloomy worlds. And they do this so well, you will find yourself flipping the record and diving into said worlds again and again. This stuff is pretty addictive.

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