The modern state of black metal is still in a stage that I can’t help but feel is still in the best condition that it has been for such a long time with the sound being far more available than ever for many more artists to spread and many more listeners to absorb. Evilfeast and Uuntar are just two of many, many bands that have found a good amount of success in this age of prosperity, and it’s only fitting that these two practically essential acts of the underground have teamed up. In a split that shows off all their strengths in just four tracks, this release caters to fans of the entire style.

This work is one of those situations where if you’ve heard even one song from either act before, you’ve pretty much already heard what they’re going to bring to the table here. But don’t let that make you at all think that “Odes to Lands of Past Traditions” is by any means a lazy split or is filled with material that is boring or just a copy-paste situation for the bands. Both Evilfeast and Uuntar still operate at full capacity for their submissions to make this split both a by-the-books sounding work while also doing minor different things to make it engaging for the listener. Naturally, that means both of them bring a cold and merciless tone with every note as we see them do what they do best: classic black metal in the modern-day done right. Evilfeast’s slightly more atmospheric approach really embraces their pagan roots to great effect while Uuntar goes for a slightly more straightforward approach that shows us the classic black metal that pairs greatly with everything that Evilfeast also brings forth, and they both work off of each other fantastically. The underground will never be lacking in black metal acts that demand to be heard and to see two acts that definitely qualify as such join forces for a no less than fiery split is to see how well the style is currently doing and it’s looking really fucking good right now with “Odes to Lands of Past Traditions”.

This is a split like many others but its worth in the world of black metal unground cannot be overstated right now. Both of these storied acts continuously bring their A-game with everything they give to us to listen to, and it’s no different here with “Odes to Lands of Past Traditions” showing that they both have so much more to throw down in order to leave their true legacy upon the black metal realm.

LISTEN to “Odes to Lands of Past Traditions” on Bandcamp here.