Circuitously strafing trodden paths in delivery of their dual-mode challenge(s) to the well-tested ear this pairing of two remarkable contemporary progressive death metal bands is charmingly apt, a barrage of the idiosyncratic yet brilliantly readable work per distinct troupes, each making spirited work of prog-death forms in the abstract. The time-and-dust tested vision of Norwegian virtuosic aggressors DISKORD and the burgeoning-slow emergence of kaleidoscopic n’ wilding Londoners ATVM in the long form represent a relationship feasibly spread between two poles, each cracking away their own far-reaching extreme yet their work is nonetheless related by similar elemental terra firma and outrageous climes. On ‘Bipolarities‘ symbiosis and distinction are feasible and for the duration of these ~36 minutes we are in a realm of bold strokes, challenging contrasts, and dare I say some of the more original death metal rhythms we’d deign to categorize as canonical in inspiration yet outlier in expression today.

As we reached the 2010’s and the underground ‘old school’ death metal revival’s resurgence throughout the post-millennium era was at its most authentic it was clear that Norway had more than a few gems brewing and while some were already going nutso for Obliteration and Execration I’d always make a point to say, hey, do you fuck with ‘Doomscapes‘? That debut from Oslo, Norway-based crew Diskord was challenging… mathematical in its methods yet fluid to a point of blissful groove and a work so far above the cold traditions being served in that realm, most of which were aiming for something like a deathcore version of Cynic at the time. That’d been the seedling for my own fandom of their work over the years and I’d written about their well under-rated works back in 2021 when their most recent full-length ‘Degenerations‘ released, landing at #48 on my Top 75 Albums of the Year per the remarkably confrontational, eclectic, occasionally dissonant and altogether overwhelming nature of that album as they made good on their post-2015 configuration with a release I’d never expected would happen.

So, entering this realm with Diskord up first I more-or-less knew what to expect in terms of 90’s technical death metal aggression and their own brand of bold abstraction and challenging use of pace and precision to create brutal yet progressive, impressionistic works. Each member of the band is an incredible musician though for my own typical focus the bass guitar work of Eyvind Axelsen is typically the voicing which carries me through the band’s otherwise tense landscapes and of course this Colin Marston mixed/mastered joint (Avtm‘s side, too) emphasizes this aspect of their sound in an incredible way, as was the case with ‘Degenerations‘; Otherwise we find four ~3-4 minute pieces without any obvious lyrical or musical thread stated here, a group of equally tension riddled and ranting songs which appear to aim for compact depth in succinct but freely flowing grooves. There is a righteous congestion to these songs, celebrating the odd-timed or quickly halted movements of each piece with virtuosic sprawl (see: “Pass the Baton”) and this to me feels like an extension or an alternative step to what’d been developed on the previous album. It’ll be a natural step taken from that point at face value and an experting toy made of rhythm once you’ve run it back a few times.

If you missed ‘Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless‘ back in 2021 it was a long-developed debut from Atvm, who’d been at it since 2012, that’d finally realized its result which to this day is difficult to sum. Consider their ideal as approachably contemporary without the pretension of canon despite their clear love for ‘old school’ classics of 90’s prog-death and the textural, challenging riff in general where I’d compared their approach loosely to the more fusion-directed pieces from Pavor when setting that album at #50 on my aforementioned best of 2021 list. In hindsight it seems the step from 2016 ’til their debut wasn’t that different from Diskord‘s as each band took on a new lead vocalist and faced the exit of key compositional input around the same time. So, when approaching the material for this split, two longform ~10-12 minute songs, we can keep in mind that these are some of the first pieces we’ve heard from the band since a brief split EP in 2022.

Challenging points of fusion and abstraction alongside some love for traditional craft help make Atvm‘s approach irreverent, surprising at times where their light steps taken from corner-of-the-eye jazz fusion to dub manage to make sense without being jarringly abrupt in transition. “Cancer” is the more straight forward of the two, recalling the weird rhythmic exaggerations of ancient groups like Disciples of Power as their stop-and-start dealt play with progression still bears some of their earlier The Chasm-esque roll. In the case of “Morphine”, probably the best overall showcase of what makes this band unique you’ll have to be patient as they rip through a multi-directional set of thrashing death metal riffs in odd-stepping rhythm as they slowly evolve toward a very ‘Elements’ level tirade. Fans of the band’s previous work should note the juiced-up production values here, again a pretty sweet emphasis on the bass guitar tone, and a more patient dynamism from these compositions which are more concerned with flow and overall movement rather than interruptive movement. For my own taste this spikes the cluster of brain cells bands like StarGazer activate but also relate to mid-90’s technical death metal freneticism as we pass into the last third of the piece.

Each band generally thrives when given time to develop some manner of immersion into their respective most recent full-lengths but in this shorter form, and despite Atvm‘s side being nearly twice as long, each delivers what feels like a too brief glimpse of what they are capable of. As we are strung along toward each conclusion the experience has a consistent momentum to it in the sense that neither band appears to interrupt one another though they are clearly on very different tangents in terms of songcraft. Each performance presents a head-down and focused set of works which has its own temporal aura wherein Diskord represent racing thoughts and fastidious detail which reaches its point of impact quickly and leaves a cranial dent whereas Atvm have this relaxed, smoked-up feeling to each song which hangs in the air a bit longer and creates a space where the eerie and the anxietous both exist in a space of comfortable expanse. A fine pairing and an important release for fans of classics-minded yet moderne progressive and technical death metal. A high recommendation.

---