MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT / KENOMA SPLIT

When Ohio's technical grind masters Rune called it quits in 2004, the Dayton scene was left with a gaping hole. No local metal bands were getting recognized---mostly because they weren't good---and the ex-Rune members made it their mission to realign themselves in bands that would be even better than Rune was. In a way, they succeeded by forming Mouth of the Architect and Kenoma. Each shares more traits with Neurosis than Napalm Death, even though Rune was the inverse. Mouth of the Architect got off to a quicker start, getting signed in their infancy to Translation Loss records who released their 2002 debut TIME & WITHERING, featuring the underground classic "The Worm". Kenoma didn't form until a while later, and decided to go the instrumental route with their sound. They also became signed to Translation Loss and this split is their first official release. Each band has the potential to do amazing things for the world of metal, albeit through a somewhat non-metal medium.

This split kicks off with a seventeen minute song by Mouth of the Architect entitled "Sleepwalk Powder". The song is hypnotically effective, a collection of crunchy riffs mixed with very clean electric guitar and near-virtuosic keyboarding. The highlight of this song may be the chant-like lyrics and vocals. The song only has a few lines of lyrics, but they are sung--- harmonized, really---by the band's two vocalists in such a manner that you truly feel the song coursing through your veins. These guys have been called "dime-a-dozen Neurosis imitators", but songs like these should prove those who doubt very wrong. Here's hoping they keep it up.

Next up is Kenoma's half of the record. Their first song is an eleven minute instrumental epic called "The Nature of Empire". If we're picking a weak point in the album, it's this song. The band doesn't play the song live, so perhaps they agree, but the song isn't really weak. Just weaker than the other two. There's a lot of suspense for the moment where the song is going to kick in and when it does it doesn't quite deliver. It isn't a huge demerit on the record though, because it's still a very relaxing tune that one can chill to with ease.

The next and final song makes this split release worth buying singlehandedly: Kenoma's "1913". This song is, without exaggeration, the song of the year and one of the best instrumental songs I've ever heard. The buildup goes on exactly as long as it should, and when the song reaches its climax you are ready to go down the roller-coaster hill that the rest of the song is. The spiralling descent into madness is amazing and rewarding, and words can hardly explain how climactically the whole thing wraps up. Kenoma prove that it doesn't take words to make you feel music, and that's commendable.

One of the best things about this album isn't even the music, but a part of the booklet. Read the extremely unconventional "thank you" section and see what I mean. Those words talk about the bands' bond and are truly inspiring to all.

Look for MOTA and Kenoma to rule the scene for years to come.

In this split recording, MotA and Kenoma share the space almost equally, with the former presenting a very long single composition (>17mins) and the latter rationalising their given time with two tracks of overall duration of a bit more than 20 mins. On a first listen, the collaboration of these two bands sounds successful in terms of sound, as they both follow a similar style, heavily influenced by the post/sludge metal movement.

Starting with MotA, Sleepwalk Powder shows similar characteristics with their debut two years prior to this release. The heavy/doom guitars are the dominant instrument, followed by a solid rhythm section, with the tuned-down bass guitar providing the - rather creeping - pace. The composition follows a similar pattern throughout with no real surprises. The first minor change occurs somewhere around the 12th minute and falls back in the main theme. The pace is constantly slow and the riffs quite repetitive, not allowing for any real variety or progressiveness in the track. The lyrics are limited and produced by rather brutal vocals which blend nicely with the style. Apart from a few well-worked doom-like guitar riffs, the taste that this tracks leaves is that of indifference.

The Nature of Empire is the first track by Kenoma, and shows many similarities with its predecessor: a slow, based on heavy riffs, instrumental track that shows signs of repetition but slightly more interesting guitar passages and a small ''dose'' of variation. However, the feeling here is identical: a ''prolonged'' composition that is uncertain if it is worth its 11 or so minutes. 1913, the track that concludes this collaboration, stands out compared to the rest. It starts off with a slow melodic doom experimental passage where clean, distorted and bass guitars create a melancholic atmosphere for the first half of the track. The approach resembles to that of Anathema and related bands. The track switches to a mid-tempo melodic post-rock second half that, without being exceptional, leaves a pleasant feeling in the end.

Apart from 1913 by Kenoma, there is nothing really great in this compilation unless you are a completionist and a big fan of the post-sludge metal genre. In my opinion, not ideal to get a feeling for MotA, whose debut is much more interesting than the long composition presented here.