Nunslaughter / Blood

This short, sharp split feature one of my favorite death metal bands, Cleveland’s Nunslaughter, and Germany’s Blood, a band I had never run across prior to this release. Nunslaughter’s death metal is of the thrashy variety without the brutal speed or cookie monster growls, like Reign in Blood Slayer or early Sepultura and cuts like "Free from Christ" and "This Cross Was Built for You" feature plenty of crunchy riffs and sick grooves to sink your fangs into. Blood, on the other hand, plays a Floridian style of death metal with unrelenting speed, riffing that goes by in a blur and a low croak. This isn’t typically my favorite style, but I have to admit the bashing drums and bludgeoning guitars work pretty well across the band’s four songs. The entire split, consisting of seven songs, lasts just under 18 minutes in total, so it’s going to rough you up, but if you blink, you might not see it happen. Nothing new here, just two death metal bands doing what they do best and kicking some ass.