Magic Bullet October Madness Part III - Pale Creation/Hessian split

Part III of my series of Magic Bullet Records reviews is the magnificent split between Belgium's Hessian, and Cleveland's Pale Creation. This split marks the debut release from Hessian, and Pale Creation's newest work since the split with Abraxis last year.

As 'I Am Heresy' were, Hessian are a completely new band to me. Being privileged enough to feature on a split with the almighty Pale Creation had given me high hopes for this band, and they have not disappointed; the songs are purely unrelentless.

I've heard they share members with Amen Ra, and this can be seen in some of the heavier elements throughout the five tracks they contribute. Their side of the split wastes no time getting straight into crushing guitar riffs with "Torch", which instantly reminded me of "Seizures in Barren Praise" from Trap Them. At times throughout the whole split the guitar work sounds very similar, albeit considerably slowed down.

That's not to say these guys don't know how to play fast, tracks like "Sang Froid" and "Rabhas" show these guys certainly know how to trash their instruments to the limit of their ability. The latter also has some perfectly vicious vocals that sound just like a tiger under siege. 

Some of the songs are re-recordings from an earlier EP released by smoke and dust records. I'll embed the tracks below so you can get a taste of Hessian's own brand of musical madness. 

Of course I had much more of an idea of what to expect from the Pale Creation side, although there were still a few surprises thrown in there I wasn't expecting. This side starts out with "Forgiveness Fails", which actually sees the band employing more trash-style elements than what we've seen for a while.
Next is "Red Chromate", which is probably my favourite track from the entire split. It starts with an intro that I can only describe as being beautiful, and is unlike anything I've heard from the band previously. Pretty soon this transitions into the heavy guitar riffs that any PC FAN would be more familiar with. It's got one great guitar solo about half way through too.
"Force the Madness" is a track I've been privileged to be able to listen to for a wee while now, although surprisingly I knew it as "Force of Madness". This is quite classic Pale Creation, incorporating all kinds of irregular beat structures and seeming to twist in and out of your ears.
Finally we finish with "Forever Illusion". From what starts out as what sounds like a siren running through the water, PC have crafted another perfect track displaying the true prowess of the band.

This too will be available digitally through iTunes on the 30th of October. And for those who, like me, prefer to have physical copies of their music, Magic Bullet records will also be handling the LP release. Whether you are looking for something ridiculously heavy or are just a returning FAN of Pale Creation, you don't wanna miss out on your own copy.