Label: Nigra Mors / Speed Hammer Productions
Date: July 3rd, 2025
As far as I can tell, this is a three-way live split release from the cuisine of my favourite collective from Galiza, Spain. The booklet is, as are all the others from Nigra Mors, written in their native language but I think I’ve understood enough. What’s more, M.U.G.R.E. and Vrk seem to have recorded their material on the very same night but definitely at the same place, Parque Náutico de Castrelo de Minho in Ourense. As for the Vlfxvrz part, they’ve put together a couple of recording sessions, including the mentioned nautical park (pardon me if I translated it incorrectly).
Still, in all three cases, the recordings are good enough, obviously captured by someone who knows the job at hand. Despite the split having the title of “Triple filthy dystopia”, it mostly refers to the creative outputs of the trio, rather than the sound quality. The cover photography, though, depicts perfectly the dystopian ruins.
As for the music on this tape, it starts with M.U.G.R.E. The moniker is an abbreviation for Human Machines Generate Emotional Rancour. In this particular case, that stands for old school grinding death metal. Where Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation meet Napalm Death and Repulsion. With touches of Morrisound ooze. Complete with samples which explain the wrath for the manure of a world we’re living in.
Ten tracks which have a range of lengths and tempos with creative capacity to keep the listeners’ attention by avoiding slipping into noisy chaos.
Vlfxvrz, on the other hand, strives for exactly that. It tells a tale, ominous, lurking, increasingly menacing, until chaos and mayhem completely take over. Musically speaking, it’s an experiment in ambient, noise, grind, black metal. Slightly confusing, since the one track Vlfxvrz has on offer here is titled (roughly translated) “Ancestors recalled the words they forgot”.
It’s a complex matter tying it all together, but you’re welcome to try if you dare.
On the flipside of the tape, Vrk is much easier to explain. For a man of my musical taste, that is. An example of primal black metal, fueled by crust punk rhythmic backbone. They are presented with nine tracks, among which are included an introduction, outro and intermezzo, as well as a cover of Agathocles’ “Big Mess”.
Not much I can say about their tracks. Vrk is not intent on redefining any genres, so you will get your share of headbanging and moshing around.
However, there’s this song called “Sexta Revelaçom”. That one, according to Nocturno (guitars, drums, samples), “is a ritualistic and contemplative theme”. Minimalist in its raw essence, but completed with chanting voice, it manages something different. Adding to it that the biblical sixth revelation speaks of cataclysmic events brought about by God’s judgement… Well, you get an interesting topic about which to ponder.
A tasty meal, made of three courses, for the select few which are free from dependence on rigid form. And most definitely not for those seeking easy and simple entertainment.
