No Funeral / Livid - Split LP (2017)

I've been meaning to review this for a while, but for whatever reason I sat on it. Enough is enough, this split needs to be talked about, even If I'm a little late to the party. So here we a split from two great Doom bands from Minneapolis, MN. Both have their own take on the genre, but together combined they make a pretty awesome split, and their end product is both crushing and hauntingly devastating. I first stumbled upon No Funeral when I heard their "Misanthrope" full length, which I ended up reviewing for this blog earlier in the year. These Midwest miscreants deliver when it comes to filthy depraved sludge doom. With two tracks totaling to about 20 minutes, No Funeral's side of the split is definitely relentless, with dope sickened dread inducing riffs, and plenty of harsh vocals and feedback to slather them as well. If you're a fan of "Misanthrope", or this is your first introduction to the band, you will not be disappointed.

Now for something that's not quite the same, but just as aurally pleasing, we have Livid's side of the split. Livid has this great big sound that is both epic and grand. They seem to swap toward the traditional side of doom, with a glacial pace, and the fuzz of stoner doom without the high. They've got the clean vocals thing going on, and it sounds like they were recorded in an empty cathedral as they echo and trail along with the rest of the song's 18 minute journey through the cosmos and the unknown. There is definitely a similar sound here to Pallbearer, but I wouldn't call them copycats. Maybe both bands are really big on Solstice. Do yourself a favor and check out this split if you haven't already. It's pretty fucking awesome, and being someone from the Midwest, it's pretty fucking sweet that we are in the presence of such awesome Doom bands. I'm definitely interested in what either band is going to put out for future releases. Cheers! -Samir

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