Review Summary: Despite being undeniably one-sided, the split between Skagos and Panopticon still manages to be a worthwhile listen for fans of atmospheric black metal.
The incorporation of hints of depressive black metal in Panopticon’s sound is a welcome addition to Austin Lundr’s repertoire, despite the lack of thought put into its presence on his side of the split. It wanders in during “Watching You” for a time; the shrill shrieks a stark contrast to Lundr’s normally buried vocals, a move that is both refreshing but at the same time awkward and misused. On the other hand, Skagos show a stubborn refusal to raise their sound above the cumbersome bounds of Cascadian black metal, releasing a pair of songs that embrace the stereotypes of the scores of others who play the same basic sound. The mid-paced guitar riffs wallow in simple melody and tremolo picked buildups that neither impress nor lead anywhere worthwhile.
Not very much has changed since Skagos released
Ast, their only full-length album, aside from rawer production values that leave the vocals raspier and with more bite than those off
Ast. The acoustic guitars presumably meant to inject the music with an atmospheric serving of folk detract from the mood of the song due to their inadequate riffs that meander around for a few minutes before fading into obscurity. On Panopticon’s side, the building ambiance of “…Seeing…” flips into a torrent of building riffs that are incredibly enjoyable, especially when paired with Lundr’s perfect scream that changes pitch along with the momentum of the instruments, a move that brings forth mounds of emotion. Meanwhile, Skagos continues to stumble along with ill-placed clean vocals that, singing proficiency (or lack thereof) aside, robs both songs of any ebb and flow that may have built up.
For Panopticon, the ideas are loud and clear, and despite some ill-conceived songwriting moments Lundr manages to craft an enjoyable half that carries with it mountains of replay value. From the chanting and string arrangements of “A Message To The Missionary” to the chaotic and out-of-character intro to “Watching You”, every song on Panopticon’s side has a lot to enjoy, still proving that Austin Lundr is an unparalleled craftsman of brilliant atmospheric black metal. Skagos, though, show their weaknesses in full force, with two songs that add up to an experience that is no more than average in the ranks of Cascadian black metal. While the screams are indeed enjoyable, they lack the songwriting power to take advantage of the opportunities created by them, and what we are left with is a plethora of cumbersome transitions and misused attempts at atmosphere that still bears the fatal flaws of their full-length
Ast. Despite being one-sided, the split still manages to be an overall enjoyable experience, with Skagos’ last song somewhat (but not fully) making up for the inadequacies of “Smoldering Embers” and Panopticon’s three solid tracks adding up to a split that is a worthwhile listen.
