Split Cranium - Split Cranium

Surely, this album doesn’t need to long a review… Why? Well, Aaron Turner of Isis plays crust punk with Jussi Lehtisalo of Circle should be all you need to know, really.

But that’s not gonna stop me raving a little bit. Split Cranium leans heavily on the hardcore side of crustcore, or even rather the crustcore side of hardcore, rockin’ oldschool punk numbers that will, as suggested, dash you brains out. But don’t think that musicians as seminal as this are going to stick to the books ‘til the end of the line. The first minute of “Black Binding Plague” is nothing but noise, then WHACK raddest oldschool D-beat ever.  “Blossoms From Boils” starts out like classic hardcore punk, then drops and hits you for a full two minutes with a single rock’n’roll riff that almost sounds like “Thunderstrike” (ACDC), only twenty to thirty times less lame. “Retrace the Circle” basically closes the album on the same note, except it’s even more driving and epic. Turner’s vocals are straight out of Isis, and it’s a pleasure to hear them so prominently here, although they work best on the final rock-out. It seems to me at times they were possibly slowing optimum energization on other tracks if only a little. His post-metal drones and bestial hardcore growls add a modern element to a record that really has a very oldschool heart. In the end there’s no way you could call it a bad thing, but I think there is a slight clash there that stops this album from being the most effective it could be.

Clocking twenty-five minutes, the self-titled Split Cranium debut could definitely be labeled “short and sweet”. The band members could also possibly be accused of “letting their hair down” here, but certainly never blamed for it. There is no self-respecting lover of rock music who doesn’t do the same themselves. But these guys do it cooler than we do. These riffs are killer, and I always unconsciously wanted to see what it was like when these rocked the Kasbah a bit harder. Split Cranium is an album I’ve got down to more than once lately and I’m guaranteed to drink some beer to it again more than once. The question is: Will SC be a once off thing, or will this union have the chance to fully reach the potential that this record shows with blinding clarity?

In summary: Split Cranium keep it real, but branch out. A unique record in the punk scene, kind of like a crust’n’roll punk album with noise highlights. Highly recommended.

Standout tracks: “Sceptres to Rust”, “Retrace the Circle”

Score: 8.5