Masakari/Alpinist Split LP

Alpinist -  Abgerichtet

Runs for: 4:24
Opener for the Split LP. 

This is what hardcore should sound like.

 

Masakari - Progress

Runs for: 3:09

Heavy! Good! What the fuck else do I say!

I got into Alpinist around late last year and loved them from the first listen with their release of Minus Mench, which I rate as one of the best hardcore albums of all time. They’re a 3 person band  out of Germany – each member screams, is exceptionally talented at their instruments and as a band they can create both fast and appealing crustcore and powerful metal bridges, combining both frequently along with instrumentals reminiscent of post hardcore/pop punk and their own pessimistic punk views to create some insanely powerful music. Sadly, they announced their break-up earlier this year, after putting out this spilt LP with Masakari, another up and coming crust act. The Alpinist side of the LP is energetic, moody at times and incredibly diverse which is what I’ve come to expect from the band. Unfortunately I don’t give the Masakari side the attention it deserves, and this review is going to serve as my boot up the arse to get that side panned properly.

The first two tracks from the Alpinist side are both well constructed energetic neo-crust tracks which is their most ‘at home’ sound. From then on, they get a bit experimental, opening their tracks up in a weirdly unique, catchy way then breaking into elaborate crust sections that jump from fast paced to drawn out and slightly melodic. The formula becomes a little too similar, but the riffwork is always cleverly diverse which masks it very well. Beyond this they always have very elaborate segments riddled in each song that always seem to mask this.

Their half of the album finishes with a bang, the epic track Quelle Valeur Reste – a brilliant prog metal ballad that builds up, gets layered, then comes down with a crashing crustcore finish before Masakari’s half begins. In my eyes this was one of Alpinist’s best releases. All the songs were good in their own right, they managed to experiment with riff work and beats better than on their previous releases which paid off, and had none of the weaknesses that their previous release, Lichtlaerm had – the main flaw being that during the middle there were some fairly uninspired tracks by their standard. The Alpinist side alone always made this album worth the listen, this is some of the best produced and constructed work by one of the best, unique and hard working hardcore bands (that I know of) of the past few years. Real fucking shame they broke up.

Now the Masakari side. I only gave it one listen when I first got the album around a year ago. I remember it being good but real fucking heavy.

Their side opens pretty well. Starts melodic, then breaks into some dirty as fuck, slow beat hardcore. The vocals are pretty low, and the drummer – holy shit. He kicks in and it's apparent this guy shoots out more beats per second than most bands I can name. He’s practically turning the band into a melodic grindcore act. The guitars are pretty well suited to it as well which is a surprise, choosing both to work well with the melodic sections while also being able to set up its own rhythm to the speed of the drums with startling accuracy.

It’s all pretty hard, and incorporates more elements of older, more ‘hardcore’ bands along with crust bands such as Tragedy, giving it a more traditional and aggressive feel than the Alpinist side. Of the two bands, Alpinist has always been more accessible. The Masakari tracks have some brilliance to them, and are a real show of skill from the band. They can pump out some super cohesive stuff at break-neck speed while still holding a coherent song structure, keeping them in the genre of crust. However, I get the slight tingle in the back of my neck when I hear some of their faster or harder stuff – reminiscent of what I got when I listened to power violence bands. I could never get down with PV because they were just TOO heavy. Masakari don’t fall into that field because they break up their half of the album with some really unique hardcore parts, but without those parts I feel it’d be too abrasive a release for me to deal with.

However, just because PV or super aggressive stuff isn’t my thing doesn’t mean that other people couldn’t see the appeal there. It’s really good shit both riff and drum wise and I could probably really appreciate it after a couple more listens. The last few tracks on it are fucking ridiculous, and show a display of this unique riff work, intense drumming and definitely above average song structure, each track riddled with subtleties and unexpected parts. After this listen, I can say I was right in my first observation. Good. But real fucking heavy.

Reccomended for: Fucking MEN. MANLY MANLY MEN. Fans of Converge, Cursed and maybe even His Hero Is Gone will really dig the first half for sure. I’ve even heard parkway drive enthusiasts being able to listen to Alpinist’s first release and considering that 5 out of 7 parkway fans are literal shitheads I take massive amounts of joy from that. Fans of maybe Trapped Under Ice, Defeater, maybe even Tragedy, Magrudergrind or Pig Destroyer might find the second half more to their liking. Even some parkway fans maybe. Depends on if you listen to hardcore for the heavy factor, which this half is all about.