EP Review: Sense Offender/They Live | We Sleep – Split (Trepanation Recordings/FHED)

Released on December 4th, 2020 via Trepanation Recordings (CD) and FHED (Cassette), Sense Offender & They Live | We Sleep have teamed up for a split EP.

Both bands draw from the well of dissonant metal aggression and hardcore and share three tracks each. Beginning with Sense Offender’s explosive Flatline Connectors. The four-piece overflowing with vicious and wild heaviness at first before taking it all down a notch for a monotonous drum beat and echoing guitar segment. It slowly builds back up, getting more and more threatening as it does.

Cancer Eater, the second of Sense Offender’s tracks, is distinctly different. In that it’s less than 2 minutes of utter chaos. Everything hitting at such a concentrated pace, there’s almost no time to take stock of just what is happening. Wild? The understatement of year.

Finally, their section of the split ends with Feeding Tubes. Another heavyweight offering that is dripping in barely restrained fury. The flareups akin to having a brick launched in your face at close range. Top that!

They Live | We Sleep are up for the challenge though and bring the hardcore heaviness with their first offering, Vacant Host. The screech of feedback, the blistering drumbeat, and the in-your-face vocals will open a pit wherever this is played.

It doesn’t get any less chaotic with Suffer Silent, the pure hostility displayed by this band here is eye-wateringly dangerous. You wouldn’t want to be at the front of the stage when they play this live, that is unless you have a death wish.

Finally, to close out this excellent split, They Live | We Sleep bring us False Gods and continue their undeniably exciting style of belligerence. No surprises here, no about-turns and no complaints. It’s pissed off music for a pissed off time.

Sense Offender/They Live | We Sleep – Split Full Track Listing:

1. Sense Offender – Flatline Connectors
2. Sense Offender – Cancer Eater
3. Sense Offender – Feeding Tubes
4. They Live | We Sleep – Vacant Host
5. They Live | We Sleep – Suffer Silent
6. They Live | We Sleep – False Gods

Links

Sense Offender – Bandcamp | Sense Offender – Facebook | They Live We Sleep – Bandcamp | They Live We Sleep Facebook | Trepanation Recordings | FHED