After months of agonizing delay, the split release from two of the U.S.'s mightiest underground acts is released for all to world to turn to ash by!

With the pummeling black/death rage of Kult ov Azazel and the terror-stricken genocide of Krieg (new full length soon?), this gem is sure to find it's place right at home with anybody who waves the banner of the underground with pride! If you've yet to be violated by either band, be warned that there's a whole new world of anguish and spite waiting for you here! Tread lightly; you wouldn't want to dive headlong into the manifestation of you're innermost fears!

Erebus Zine (USA)

This is the fourth release for Genocide Music, and one that should prove to be something of a breakthrough for them. Everything here is an improvement on the material (not musical) quality of the last release, Maskim's 'Conquest' album, and as Genocide is run (if I'm not completely mistaken) by Septimus, the vocalist and one of the guitarists from Maskim, it's difficult to reconcile this fact with the appearance of this disc...why promote and present, in a much cleaner, better produced fashion, bands that you are not involved in rather than save the money for your own projects? And wasn't this originally supposed to appear on Blood Fire Death records? This conundrum can be solved by looking a little closer...I am sure both Kult of Azazel and Krieg paid for their own recordings or produced them by themselves, and the excellent artwork here is by a different man as well, Joshua Bowens, whose photo/paint/paper collages have begun to appear more and more popular in the underground, even though they are suspiciously similar to Riddick's. So, to look at it another way, this release is really a collaboration between a number of different individuals and talents, and it raises the finished product into a different realm than the one that came before it on the same label...it is a major leap in terms of design, presentation, and overall 'quality'...congratulations, Genocide.

Anyway, the Kult of Azazel 'Of Evil and Hatred' portion of this features older material - music that can not really be compared to what was unleashed on their debut album only a few weeks ago, even though two of the songs here also appear on that recording. This is older capturing of those frantic pieces, but really the only way the Arctic album improves on this here is in the production. This is a band whose sound has changed very little once they settled on a formula or approach they liked, and so those of you who are interested mainly in listening to earlier material to trace the evolution of bands, you can ignore this. However, this does feature three numbers not found on the later release, including a vile opening intro that sounds like a legion of demons vomiting... I saw an ad in a death metal magazine at a newsstand yesterday where Kult of Azazel is described as 'in the vein of Venom, Mayhem, etc.', and even though I laughed at that, figuring that the person who wrote it either knows next to nothing about black metal or was trying to allude to scene sympathies this band just does not share or sponsor, it was still interesting. 'So,' I said, 'this is how death metal musicians see this band, and black metal in general.' Maybe, maybe not...but the only thing this band has in common with Mayhem, for example, is the speed of the drumming...in fact I don't hear anything Norwegian at all in this band, and the material on this disc serves to prove that point as it allows you to make out certain guitar idiosyncrasies/tone characteristics that the later production of their debut masks. In any case, this is more of the same: violent, scathing, all-out war...black metal that will not take any prisoners, like an American Marduk, and with those insane vocals that I'm sure everyone will recognize now...

And now we come to Krieg, one of the strangest of the US black metal bands, and an entity that had seen a great deal of popularity (or, at least, a small number of people shouting very loudly) with the release of their first CD, 'Rise of the Imperial Hordes'. I was introduced to that work a number of years ago, and even though I wasn't especially impressed at the time, I could see why other people were interested in it: the album was said to be raw, powerful, original (or at least appeared so at that time in the US scene), it did have a nice underproduced sound, was supposed to be very 'vocal' and 'violent', and seemed to want to strike back at the European bands that were drenching the US with barrels of reverb. Taking influence mainly (one thought) from the older American black metal bands like Profanatica, Havohej, Demoncy, Judas Iscariot, and other icons of the underground, here was a new group (two people, I think, on that recording - now reduced to just one) committed to 'true' black metal, angry at all of the borrowings other more commercial outfits were making from the scene, and intent on staying far beneath the spotlight. Fine. I think the music, on the other hand, has always been the problem for this band, while they have had attitude and anger to spare...shouldn't it be the other way around, if it's going to be anything? I've never been much of a fan of this band (or its sole 'musician', Neill Jameson, who goes by the moniker of 'Lord Imperial' - just what exactly he considers himself to be a 'lord' of I don't know) and the music that is on this CD probably won't change my mind anytime in the near future. This is basic, by the numbers, fascinatingly unoriginal black metal...and once you pierce past all the frills like the samples, effects, and 'atmospheric' additions, it is terribly, utterly boring - I actually fell asleep the first two times I tried to listen to it. Whereas some bands can use repetition in a good sense, where their themes or sense of atmosphere are enthralling enough to maintain one's attention, Jameson uses it mainly because he has so little to say. 'I want to be in a cult black metal band' is all this music says to me, over and over, to point where it becomes ridiculous - or pathetic, depending on my mood. The vocals, in particular, are very poor, or just generally embarrassing, and the melodies in the guitar music, when Neill stirs himself from his lethargy to create them, are just pointless, talentless, and absolutely devoid of any kind of dark feeling. Krieg is, and has always been, just a stale derivation of people, bands, or individual musicians who are in turn highly derivative on their own. However, because I have witnessed Neill mention, on a few occasions that I can remember, that he doesn't consider originality to be a point of importance in his music, it is not surprising that this sounds the way it does. It does continue to surprise me that people actually listen to this band, or give Krieg the time of day. There are so many better sources of dark music out there...this portion also features older material...

One good thing that you can say about Krieg is that Neill seems to be setting up these kinds of releases more often now - especially the split with Eternal Majesty, among others, which I have heard of but not yet heard...so a few bands get to drag themselves out of the underground and leave their evidence on vinyl (preferably) or disc along with the ubiquitous Krieg before either sinking back down into anonymity or launching the music further into the spotlight. This is an admirable practice, releasing all of these obscure bands to wider audiences, and I hope Jameson puts more of his resources into his label in the future instead of boring people to death with Krieg. His talents seem to lay in organizing, researching, collecting and promoting,not composing.So, to sum up, what we have here will probably be essential for those of you who consider yourselves USBM connoisseurs, or for those of you who just must have every Krieg release ever (there are going to be a lot of new recordings in the next year, I think)...as for the rest of you, I would concentrate on Kult of Azazel's new album and leave this behind. However, as I said above, this CD does feature an enhancement on the part of the label's ability to package or produce effective releases, and I hope they continue with this level of quality in the future. Wouldn't it be better to put out the work of unsigned, unknown bands, though - or another Maskim album? We'll see what time will bring... - U. Amtey

Lunar Hypnosis (USA)

Well this was my intro to both American Black Metal Assaults known as Krieg and Kult Ov Azazel. And I will say that it was quite a first impression I got from these two bands. Kult Ov Azazel leans more towards the brutal style of black metal that can be found in Setherial, Marduk and Dark Funeral. The sound of Krieg I find hard to describe sometimes to be honest, it sounds grim but in a different way than the Norwegian bands do.

The Kult Ov Azazel part is not bad. You can find these songs on their debut album "Triumph of fire" though. The tracks are fast and agressive, and the guitars are very quick and the riffs are extreme. The drumming is technical, and there is lots of double bass and the blast beats are fast. There is many interesting drum patterns to be found here and not so many long drum fills like most black metal bands tend to have which is not bad at all.

Now came the band that really shocked me, Krieg. To be honest I expected another Darkthrone rip off here because that's what people described the band to me as. The drums sound brutal, they are fast and aggressive and at times they sound like mini drum solos to me that end up really quick. There is a lot of thrash influenced beats and not many blast beats to be found. The vocals sound tortured, sort of like a mix of Varg (From Burzum/Old funeral/Satanel) and Dead (Mayhem/Morbid) mixed together!

The guitar riffs are slow and atmospheric sounding. The production isn't the best for Krieg but for Kult Ov Azazel it's good, and you can hear all the instruments clearly. One thing that I really like about Krieg is that pretty much all the songs have an interesting little intro. Overall this album kicks ass! This album is great as an introduction to the US Black metal scene. 9/10 - Hell Tyrant

Ma-Kahru Distro (USA)

Kult ov Azazel
Track 1 - "Intro" Chaotic growls and screams over metal guitar feedbacks, noise, and bass drones, including a killer phlegmatic death gurgle. This is unique to find for an intro idea, and I like it. Setting the stage for a black metal CD is typically some lilting ambient drift, and a moan or two. Here, KoA prepares us with a gush of chaos, not amazing or stunning, but definitely different. In fact, I'd like a CD with just this type of stuff on it.

Track 2 - "In the Plagued Realm" Busy, frenetic fucking black metal, almost deathmetalish in the drumming, but these guys know how to retain the raw feel in their sound. Good mix of tempo and structure, a very busy metal song, with a nice downshift around the 2:28 mark, only to rage back to it's hectic origins. The vocs couple high screams with a sporadic low growl, again reminding me of some death metal influence. Good grinding bit of blackness.

Track 3 - "Symbionic 666" Another very fast paced track, not as varied as the one previous, this one stays it's pace set at the outset. This is grueling, grinding black metal, full of the might and fury needed to confuse and devastate the meek. The standout feeling thus far is in the great production KoA has gotten for this release. Judging from their last tape release, this band has made some strides maturing their own sound, and bloody hails to that.

Track 4 - "Destruction to the Throne of God" Another blurring piece of blasphemy, rips along with the drumming again leading the way to the alter of carnage. These guys are doing some interesting shit within the context of black metal, they are actually putting their own stamp on it, and decrying worship of their predecessors. Nothing is minced to try and feel nice, or "atmospheric", KoA just goes for jugular veins by way of ax, throat and battery.

Track 5 - "Forever Heaven Gone" This track is not a standout as such, but nevertheless I find it the most appealing overall. Good solid grinding black metal, with an excellent vocal performance, probably the strongest on their side of the split. This is a band with a lot of strengths, and the are only going to get stronger.

Krieg
Track 6 - "Knights of the Holocaust" I always relish Krieg. Their use of sampling to intro their songs is always cool, and they always choose some chilling monologue that mirrors the intents of the track well. Krieg is a disharmonic hodgepodge of cross dismantling revelry, evoking some of the most nightmarish black metal sounds in this underground. Imperial's vocal delivery is pure evil, all throat and bile. The guitars seem to be leading me into hell's depths by chains and shackles. It's just real fucking fun for me. Scream Scream Moan Scream... Lament it all man.

Track 7 - "Fallen Ones" Just a fucking holocaust of evilness. Ya know, Imperial said they fucked up the mastering of his tracks on this disc, and maybe they don't suit him, but they sure rule at any rate. This track is a nightmare of buzzing guitars, shrieks and chaotic, slap a dap drumming...

Track 8 - "Slit their Throats to the Spine" Possibly containing the grimmest use of a cowbell you'll ever hear. This track sets the perfect stage and feeling for a sumptuous feast on Christian soldiers. Amazing grim vibe off this track, which also appeared on a crappy comp a while back. The freezing cold and razor-sharp guitars carry this track. It's a bitter, foul, stench laden battlefield this track brings us to, and the imagery in your mind while this tracks plays out is just staggering. (Can you tell I like this one?)

Track 9 - "Shadows of the Fallen Kingdom" More foul cowbells... I wonder if a dead cow is in the studio? Anyway, this song is, like the preceding ones, always has feelings of movement, irritation, torment, and blasting rage. Krieg is brilliant at making the listener edgy and unsettled, as the music is forever spawning chaos by and for more chaos. It's totally convincing, and demoniacal as it gets.

Track 10 - "Power of Darkness" This is the least Kriegish-sounding track, at least judged from the tracks included here. It's more pointedly traditional in it's metal approach, though the vocal performance here is in the usual vile vein. Great, unedited ending.

Track 11 - "Coldwindflame" Lovely tar stained cough to begin with, this must have been recorded during a bout with some chronic cancer or something. This is the least convincing track, in terms of the aforementioned unsettled quality that Krieg rules at. At the same time, it is a good black metal song, by any standard. It should be pointed out that Imperial's trademark rasp is fucking sick beyond most anyone I've heard. This guy has buckets of the greenest, chunkiest snot in his barrel of a throat, and he uses it to betray a hateful and venomous wrath, the likes of which you won't hear until he shambles out of the pit again.

Great fucking split, both bands should lead the USBM scene for a while.

Metalcore (USA)

Throat slashing black metal. Fast, heart pounding to your souls. Kult offer up 4 tracks of speedy heart screaming black metal with tons of feeling. You can just feel the hate and power. A great split CD.

Metal Nightmare (USA)

No fancy shit here, not even a title for this two horned assault on the senses. KULT OV AZAZEL have of course recently been signed to Arctic Music, but this is my first exposure to their raw form of black metal. It appears the rumors of their potency were true. Totally kult and low-fi. Quite possibly even wilder sounding than THORNSPAWN, yet much more melodic. KRIEG have been kicking around for ages now, and again, this is the first thing I've actually heard from them. I believe I'll be seeking out their other releases, for their style of massively underproduced black war metal holds its own against the likes of BEHERIT and BLASPHEMY. These are two bands that stand for what black metal truly is about, and their integrity is without question. A thousand, thousand hails to both of them!

Parasytical Sadness Zine (England)

The two masters of the current USBM scene (Kult Ov Azazel and Krieg) slay and torture all in there path in this tremendous release. The release of this CD has been plagued with troubles as both of the bands worxx were recorded in 99 thus this should of been a prelude to the new Kult Ov Azazel album (Triumph In Fire) however as both releases have come out in relation too each other i fear that many black metal freaks may overlook this classic release of pure torture and desecration.Kult Ov Azazel perform 3 new songs and an intro on this split with the other traxx being taken from there new album. The tremendously fast 'Symbolic 666' with its pure wrath demon arising drumz. The vox however on 'Forever Heaven Gone' and amazing guitar work makes this track the best of the 3. Kriegs sensational track 'Knights Of The Holocaust' is a great track to open there foray into this hellish release. The chilling violins with bestial growls of sodomy and torture at the end of this track prove that Krieg really are able to keep the raw style they are known for and add an unusual twist to it. Kriegs material is raw and harsh and vital to every black metal fan as there album has proven which is sold out on many a distro.

A tremendously long awaited Split which lived up too every expectation. 5/5 - PURE FUCKING ARMAGEDDON - Lord Melanocyte

Ultima Comparatio (USA)

USBM.. Something that raises very different opinions within this editors mind, on one hand I think utter pretentiousness filled with over inflated ego’s. On the other, I think of truly extreme music that is completely over the top. Fortunately, this split CD falls into the latter category. Kult of Azazel starts the split off with an intro followed by four songs of utterly disgusting Black metal. The band has their own style, it is both break neck speed and brutal. The vocals are completely over the top and sound as if they are quite painful for the vocalist to complete a recording. Musically the band is flawless, dark, yet sick riffing with drums that are almost machine-like. What more can be said? You want it black? Here it is.

Next up is Krieg, this is where all structure and anything remotely harmonic dies. Krieg is on their way to being the new kings of Chaotic Black Metal. In fact, I would be so bold as to say that Krieg makes old Beherit and Blasphemy sound structured and harmonic. Lord Imperial has once again upped the ante for others to try to match his sheer intensity and sickness, especially within the vocal department. Musically the band might not be the tightest, nor do they have a nice big "Abyss Studio" production, but if they had such, they would lose all their charm!!