Review Summary: Independent DIY spirit in underground music will never die.
Split albums were once the true lifeblood of the underground music scene, especially as it relates to the various assorted subgenres of emo and hardcore. They were a crucial way for bands to gain exposure and showcase their talents to a new set of ears. It’s a format I’ve always found fascinating, and I definitely have my favorites. I think back to a then relatively unknown Jimmy Eat World grinding through the underground Midwest emo circuit, putting out splits with Mineral, Sense Field and Jejune. I also think about when the two arguable GOATs of their respective genres Orchid and Pig Destroyer teamed up for a split. I mean, does it really get any better than that? Split releases may be less common nowadays, with self-publishing making it easier than ever to get music out, but it’s always applause-worthy when bands recapture the independent, DIY spirit of the legends who came before them.
Death of Spring came together in that same spirit of DIY collaboration. For Your Health and Shin Guard both exploded in popularity during the online screamo revival boom of the late 10’s, sharing numerous bills together and building momentum side-by-side. These two rising bands recognized each other's energy and decided to combine their similar skill sets into one project. Shin Guard was coming off two well-received full-length albums including
2020 which drew rave reviews, while For Your Health was more of a wildcard with only an EP under their name and were more known for their chaotic live shows. They weren’t equals yet, but they were peers, growing at the same time within the same tight-knit community. With so much musical DNA in common, teaming up was completely natural.
Each band brings a similar bag of tricks to the table with their approach to beauty in the chaos. Emotional, raw and violent screamo with a strong underpinning of the early 2000’s metalcore scene. There are plenty of angular riffs, chaotic dissonance and stop-start rhythms. It evokes that era when metalcore, grindcore, post-hardcore, and mathcore blurred into one unpredictable grab-bag of ideas, something I miss dearly. Both sides are still screamo at their core but the genre blending and fluidity is a nice spice to add in a style that can be monotonously uptempo. The dripping pure emotion is what I love most about the genre and this release jumps off the page with it.
The Midwest-emo inspired clean break in “Keres” from For Your Health perfectly exemplifies that feeling before crescendoing into explosive melodies and absolutely ear-piercing highs with aggressive lyrical repetition at the end creating a picture perfect slice of what I look for in the genre. “Enter Flesh” is another standout with a serene opening again erupting into an assault of riffs plus impressive stretches of low gutturals that sound like a rabid dog being let loose. With every split there is natural discourse of which side you prefer but the lesser known band more than held their own here.
Shin Guard keeps that momentum going and even raises the bar with the poetic and emotionally draining “Grief Instilled”, the clear peak of the split. It’s a song about coping with death as you grow up, and it packs a punch. The elongated intro uses isolated, strained vocals over a haunting melody to set the tone. When it finally detonates into a nonstop barrage of riffs, inhumanly high shrieks, tempo shifts, and ethereal female choral vocals, the payoff feels enormous. “Both Stricken” is another killer track with so many memorable riffs but the standout moment features a building infectious ascending melody that then rapidly descends like a plane falling out of the sky. Another melodic break appears here but the energy never drops with screams carrying the momentum right into a finale of relentless snare pounding that absolutely pops. These two tracks are a masterclass in how to craft emotional yet aggressive music that’s still wildly catchy, the kind of stuff you’ll come back to again and again.
Death of Spring is a perfect snapshot of where each band was at the time. For Your Health came off rougher around the edges, still trying to find their style, while Shin Guard delivered something much more polished, exactly what you’d expect from a more experienced band approaching their creative peak. Interestingly enough, For Your Health have ridden this opportunity into becoming a well-known name in the genre while Shin Guard have renamed into Hazing Over playing more straightforward metalcore/deathcore, a move suggesting an identity crisis of sorts.
You couldn’t ask for a better testament to the creative, collaborative spirit of underground hardcore than this split. May this soul last forever.
