Split releases: generally I feel like you can take ’em or leave ’em. At their most mediocre they bring together two very similar bands that want to release some song trimmings from the last album that didn’t make the cut.
At a split’s best, they bring together two complementary bands that might not exactly walk in each other’s worlds- but have something to show to the adjacent fan base that might be new and exciting. These bands take the time to experiment with sound – perhaps signaling a new direction for a coming proper release, or maybe wish to itch an artist’s itch for a few minutes. We feel (with some bias) that UNBOUND by deadyellow and BOBAK falls into the second category here.
Deadyellow first came onto the radar of Nick Hertzberg, one-half of Wet Cassettes, when he started a friendship with ambient sound artist Grimothy, whose album “Death Dream“ the label released (and sell out) in August of 2021. Tim (Grimothy) mentioned checking out deadyellow – a newer post-black metal band who just finished their debut album and that he would be playing bass with. Well, low and behold, Nick and Bill (the other half of Wet Cassettes) loved it. Black metal that matched menace and angst with stunning ambience and attention to art? They thought, “How can we work with this band…now?”
Enter BOBAK– the first true black metal act on Wet Cassettes’ eclectic roster and whose debut tape “The First Key” sold out almost instantly. Completely improvised and entirely raw ala Bone Awl or Vlad Tepes, Nick and Bill of Wet Cassettes thought that the textural approach of deadyellow and grit of BOBAK could come together to forge a witches brew of brute ugliness and sonic togetherness that hasn’t been seen on a split in quite some time.
The resultant UNBOUND hits a lot harder than one would expect after hearing either band’s first albums. This is no filler material or b side bull crap here. Expect to be sucked up to the inside wall of a black metal Gravitron amusement ride with a corpse-painted conductor throwing knives at you and blaring the howling frantic soundtrack from your nightmare during this 22-minute ride.
Available for free digitally and on a limited tape run featuring stunning artwork by Sözo Tozö, starting January 21st, 2022 from Wet Cassettes.