You’d think that any band that had just put out a titanic work of any style would seek to tour in support of that work, go back to the drawing board to make for another piece with a release set possibly in the next year or something along those lines. I would think so, anyway. But that didn’t stop the two grandmasters of death metal who are respectively old and new but as venomous as could be: Exhumed and Gatecreeper. Their scathing works of death metal are landmarks for the style this year, and it’s through them teaming up they provide us with a damned good finale to close the year on.

To expect something tremendously different from either band out of a split like this where the entire piece is less than fourteen minutes long is to be just a tad too hopeful, but to say that both deliver greatness still would be stating the absolute obvious. While Exhumed provides us with three classy covers that sound just as marvelous as any of their original material with the unrivaled ferocity and undeniable, acidic power that’s on constant display here that breathes new life into these pieces, it’s Gatecreeper that proves to be the only one here that provides us with brand new material for us to really sink our teeth into. But, even then, it’s not wholly new for the vast majority of us. The two songs they bring forth here came in the form of two stand-alone singles on vinyl before now, but it’s now they can spread forth madness and disease as a deadly combo. Neither of these grand acts presents us with works that can be classified as brand new or even original, but that doesn’t mean that what’s brought forth here is anything worth skipping over. The very names of each of these acts speak for themselves, and any fan of them will have a damn good time listening to this devastating little dish that has plenty to give well after several spins.

Such a split like this is far from anything that can be called a grand work by any means whatsoever, but there is still loads of enjoyment to be had when two acts of such high caliber like this come together. Both Exhumed and Gatecreeper provide a devilish display that’s just as infectious as any of their other works, and with them together they’ve made for a listen that is nigh on intoxicating.

BUY “Exhumed / Gatecreeper” via Relapse Records here.

LISTEN to “Exhumed / Gatecreeper” via YouTube here or below.