When I received this cassette I was certain I had heard Storm Ross before so this was going to be one of those great splits with two artists I had already known but as it turns out I only really knew Storm Ross in name. So why this is funny to me (but not haha) is because I've heard Shoto before as part of a split with Mold and now I'm hearing Storm Ross for the first time as part of a split with Shoto. Will I one day be exposed to a new artist as part of a split with Storm Ross?
Guitar note bliss is how I would describe the sounds of Storm Ross. There is this sort of banjo twang. It gets loud and intense at one point, which reminds me of either something out of a Hitchcock movie or "Kill Bill". Ramblin' space chaos paves the way for Hendrix-like solo riffs. While it is somewhat psychedelic, there is also this Rush-drone to it and cymbals bring us to its end as it fades out.
Shoto begins on the flip side with strings which turn to grunge/sludge/instrumental darkness. There is feedback-- it's sharp-- and it reminds me of Silverchair at first. It's rocking, somewhat metal, but has that quality of every album Nirvana made except for "Nevermind". Then the vocals kick in. Screamy, hardcore vocals which bring to mind Curl Up and DIe and Darkest Hour. It gets so heavy but so good at the same time.
What I enjoy about this split is that these two artists are similar in the sense that they make music with the same basic components. I know it's not too clever to say "Bands play guitars", but it's not as simple as that. They are artists who I could see going on tour together because even though I wouldn't put them in the same genre they have enough similarities at their core to make it work.
But that doesn't mean- as I typically like to state- that if you like one you will like the other. Fans of Shoto may not enjoy the music of Storm Ross. If your mind is open enough you will, but I've known a lot of people who enjoy hardcore music and think even variations of hardcore are too "light" for their tastes. But yes, I would definitely recommend both sides to anyone reading this because if you've made it here, you've obviously got the right mindset.
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