Much like my recent coverage of the split album between Chaoshorde and Satan’s Acolyte’s, I want to reiterate just how much I love a good, proper split between two bands of similar style that don’t only just work on their own but also feel as though each band is helping the other to allow the entire collaboration to feel like a single, monumental effort. I can’t say the last time I’ve seen such an effort in the world of doom metal, but I knew it was only a matter of time before one came my way. I simply wasn’t expecting it so soon! Granted, I knew that this split was in the making well before today, but in no way did that take away any level of grandeur that the two acts of Illimitable Dolor and Promethean Misery, two acts I greatly respect, brought together for this tour de force of hauntingly beautiful doom.

The name of Illimitable Dolor was one that I knew was going to be busy coming into 2019 as their upcoming sophomore full-length, “Leaden Light”, has already passed with flying colors and two thumbs up in my opinion, I just simply didn’t know that these guys were going to have even more material coming out before even that released! Whereas “Leaden Light” has five tracks to boast with, it’s with this split that Illimitable Dolor offers two, but in no way are they any sort of departure from the excellence this band has become synonymous with. There’s nothing but gorgeous heaviness in all of its massive presence as this act proceeds forth with one monolithic step after another as their music cuts into the very spirit and rends flesh as their uncompromising sound is that of agonizing pain both physical and metaphysical. And much like all their other material albeit not much to go around, Illimitable Dolor has does nothing but impress and astound with both these tracks acting as daggers to stab deep right where your previous wounds have healed from the last onslaught this band delivered.

And then, on the other hand, we have Promethean Misery who is an act I’ve become quite familiar with and one that I had especially high hopes for going into this split. Given her album last year was quite delectable, I expected either the same level of quality if not more going into this split. As if luck was on my side for this entire release, the reality was that Promethean Misery had brought up her most tantalizing material for this pair of intoxicating weapons! Whereas Illimitable Dolor has heaviness and even some death metal bits on their side, it’s with Promethean Misery that we see this woman delve into the ethereal veil that wraps around all of the music even more as both of these tracks are devilishly seductive as both pull you into a carefully handcrafted realm where you’re made to gaze into your very being to see all of your faults, misdeeds, and sins. It’s there, and only there, that you can find true enlightenment of a unique variety and through that, we can see the true beauty that Promethean Misery has wrought here. And via such a horrific trial of looking into thine self, you can see the glorious light that’s to be found in every little crack the grey sky provides in all of its wonders.

Doom has always been one of those highlights for metal for me that always keeps me going, and it’s with this split that I’m given a grand and detailed gift that I never knew would be as glorious as it ended up being. As I said, both of these bands have been very high in my opinion with incredibly fruitful releases, but there were few things that could’ve prepared me for the powerful duality that Illimitable Dolor and Promethean Misery have brought to the table with these split. More than ever, I cannot begin to stress the awesomeness and macabre grandeur that these two bands somehow embody.

This split releases on February 11th!

LISTEN to respective tracks from the split via Illimitable Dolor on Bandcamp here, or via Promethean Misery on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Illimitable Dolor on Facebook here.

LIKE Promethean Misery on Facebook here.