The Pitch: Seattle bands Into the Storm and Smooth Sailing have teamed up to reveal a new split album. Says the band, "This split for us is a throwback to times shared lamenting the state of the world, governments and surveillance while throwing back a couple of cold ones under the stars. Take it with you when you are out in the forest or walking along the concrete jungle." FFO: old Mastodon, Gojira, Baroness
What I Like: Where the Merfalo Roam was a welcome surprise in 2016, especially for Mastodon fans wishing they would return to their roots. Ever since then, I have added Into The Storm to my bands to watch list; and I was thankful to see their name come up again with this new split. In particular, opening track "Murder Murder Murder" appropriately kills it; hitting all of the best notes of their previous album. The progressive structures continue to recall Gojira while their gruff sludginess harkens back to Leviathan and Blood Mountain. "So How Do You Explain All The Dead Unicorns" (nice Metalocalypse callback btw), is also a strong outing even if the former edges it out ever so slightly.
As for Smooth Sailing, I wasn't familiar with their previous work. While their side was noticeably weaker, I was still pleasantly surprised by their particular union of Southern rock, sludge, and hardcore. Their riffs and drumming are energetic, and "Stevie Ray Oiye" has quite a few solid hooks that stood out from the rest.
Critiques: Like I said, Smooth Sailing's contributions to this split don't quite live up to Into The Storm's. The compositions come across as somewhat generic in comparison, and the vocals are pretty one-note. The frontman needs to work on range and having more of a presence, and I'm not sure if that's more of a performance or production issue.
The Verdict: This latest split is an uneven one, but if you're a fan of Into The Storm or the obvious influences listed above, it's worth checking out their tracks at the minimum. Smooth Sailing show their own promise, but they have a hard time living up to the more complex approach of their brethen.
Flight's Fav's: Murder Murder Murder, So How Do You Explain All The Dead Unicorns, Stevie Ray Oiye
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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