A Channel of Static Gray

It's opportunities like this where I'm glad I stuck with this blogging nonsense. Today's split 12" features two fairly obscure bands that I already liked, it seems pretty rare, it was cheap and in great condition, and, most importantly, it kicks a fierce amount of ass! Prior to this split with Segue, I only knew Manitowoc, Wisconsin's Inflicted from their split with Ojorojo. That's a whopping three minutes of music, but they left their mark. I remember them sounding a lot like the nineties Bay Area HC I worship often, and these five tracks continue that, but for some reason this time they seem more New Mexican. Dark and slow meets fast and angry in a contest I find myself comparing to Neurosis, Logical Nonsense, Dead and Gone, and Eldopa. This is solid, world-class hardcore that deserves much more attention.

Segue is a bit more of a protean beast. Between the grooves is a nightmare journey of noise, Bremen-style grind/hardcore, and heavy Neurosis-esque mood-crust. I took a chance on these bug-obsessed Minnesotans a while back with their first 10" and loved it. This is more of the same despair-ridden ugliness, mingling with blades of gray melody that keep the tracks from collapsing on themselves. Certainly a sweet find for fans of Mörser, Dimlaia, and Christdriver. If/when I verify that they're out of print, I'll post the band's first two releases. Their second 10" is still available from Trujaca Fala.


The Inflicted/Segue split 12"