Blade/Goldust split 10”

Recently released through Germany's Break x Out Records is this quality split between two (self-professed) heavily Clevo-inspired metallic hardcore bands from Europe (both of which also happen to be straightedge, if you're interested), though neither apes their influences particularly blatantly—which isn't a bad thing in this instance. Blade (Belgium) kicks things off with five tracks of fairly straightforward metallic hardcore with just the right balance of burly breaks and churning, moderately paced speeds—meaning that there is in fact a tangible degree of actual hardcore involved. Goldust (Germany) then follows with five tracks of their own, which take a similar road musically, though a hint more diversity is explored through a wider range of tempos and some killer little dissonant riffs that lend a darker edge to the songwriting. The vocals also possess a harsher and more ferocious edge, so when all is said and done the Goldust material definitely tends to leave more of a mark in terms of furious energy and overall intrigue. That's not to detract from Blade at all, however, as I'd certainly like to hear more from both of these acts, I just can't deny that Goldust is bringing a little more to the table with their curious breadth of influences. Good stuff overall, though.

Blade "The Scythe"
Goldust "Speaking Tongues"

I don't have the actual 10" for this one, but the artwork looks pretty damn cool and it appears that colored vinyl is available, so I'm guessing that the physical product would indeed satisfy all the vinyl-obsessive hardcore fans out there. I'm not sure about distribution or ordering information either, so go ahead and contact the label via MySpace to see what's up there.