Do Skonu (До Скону) / Shadows Ground "Amanita Cross / The Land Of Nameless And Forgotten Souls" Vinyl Split LP

Descripción Schattenkult Produktionen is back with another interesting split, this time pairing two Ukrainian bands. On the one side we got one of the label’s trademark acts Shadows Ground, who managed to turn into one of my absolute favorites when it comes to atmospheric yet cold and traditional black metal. It has been a joy to see them grow over the years and get better from one release to the next. They share the very epic and dramatically titled split “Amanita Cross – The Land of Nameless and Forgotten Souls” with a one man project I have not been familiar with so far, namely Do Skonu. Checking his artist page I was surprised to see that this man has already produced a bunch of stuff. Both acts deliver four tracks, adding up to 40 minutes of dark art.
Starting the show is Do Skonu with the first cut “Uranium Golconda”. Flying out of the gates with some traditional and speedy riffs the instruments are soon joined by the raspy vocals. There are no big surprises although the tempo is slowed down a tad in the second half before a hypnotic guitar sequence is added and dominates the rest of the song. The second track “Amanita Cross (A Hallucinogenic Journey into the Otherworldy)” is quite similar in speed and tone but is spiced up by some subtly epic and slightly melancholic lead melodies. On the third song we get a more mid-paced rhythm coupled with a memorable chorus part which brings an additional layer to the Do Skonu side. At the end we get another fast banger which similar to the first two pieces develops into something slower with dense atmosphere.
Shadows Ground open with “Unholy Winds over the Ruins f Fallen Kingdoms” and immediately show what they are all about. They are masters in building their raw and direct black metal basics on melancholic harmonies. On top of the instrumentation sits the gnarly voice of guitarist and band founder Waam. The top notch drum work by Thorns should also be mentioned as he does a fantastic job once again. His playing sounds absolutely natural and when you listen closely you might recognize that there are no trigger effects or whatsoever needed as he exactly times whenever he wants to hit harder or use more subtle technics. It is no surprise that he plays in several highly rated bands. The following two tracks continue in similar vein before the closer “The Land of Nameless and Forgotten Souls” turns out to be an amazing black metal hymn of the highest order.
Overall “Amanita Cross – The Land of Nameless and Forgotten Souls” is a fantastic split. Both acts complement each other very well and should attract more or less the same circle of listeners. Where Do Skonu seems to act slightly more straight forward Shadows Ground add an extra portion of melancholic melody to their playing. The production is fine on both parts – stripped back and organic but not overly raw and still clear and dynamic enough to make the music highly enjoyable. This one is available as 12 inch with a really cool looking cover motif so the vinyl collectors among the black metal fans should take notice.

Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=DuYvPXr-WXI