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From Heathen Harvest webzine:Concrete. A perfect metaphor for the hardcore spirit that infects both the past and the present state of the Massachusetts underground. It is the brutal, severed face of American power electronics. It greets flesh with all the subtlety of a nuclear blast wave, and its only voice is the crushing crumble under the rumble of an Earthquake or the gut-wrenching clash of jagged metal against itself, the white noise of the heavy rain that washes away the blood and memory, and the death rattle in between. Yeah... concrete. And there is plenty of it in the vast urban sprawl that makes up the inspiration behind this first release in a three-part series from Existence Establishment. First up are two monolithic figures in this asphalt wonderland — one deceased, one very much alive — in Michael Page's Fire in the Head (which was laid to rest with this release) and Peter Lee (Force of Nature) / Andy Grant (The Vomit Arsonist, Danvers State Recordings)'s Bereft. Both projects need little-to-no introduction beyond that, and both are here representing their roots, so common sense already implies that this is going to be a powerful offering from both sides of the record.
F/I/T/H's side of the split begins with that noted Earthquake rumble as it quickly evolves into a roaring fervor with "The Great Deceiver" and "In his Garden", reducing whatever order remained into shambled chaos. Complex layers of harsh industrial electronics, drone, and undoubtedly pernicious if not outright virulent vocals swiftly pile up throughout the side, creating an aural mirror to the complexity of subject matter that they encompass — from his personal perception of the Abrahamic evils of the opening and closing tracks to one of Page's most beloved subjects in firearms in the cleverly titled "My Right, you're Wrong" (which includes a brilliant placement of the infamous Rifle-monogamy sample by R. Lee Ermey from the film "Full Metal Jacket".) Page's trademark crushing vocals dominate the final moments of "Sodom Eyes", bringing this side — and the project's existence — to an eventful and expected outwardly emotional conclusion.
Bereft's side is more drawn back in terms of complexity, but the first track takes up a percussive direction that is bombastic to the point of developing death industrial on an incredibly destructive doom-ridden, martial scale — very much 'old school' with production quality that is surprisingly immersive for its bare-bones approach. The heavy electronics are basic and minimalist, and with that comes vocals that are stronger because of it — vocals that are confident in their emphatic, surprisingly audible delivery, and which tackle a variety of subjects from vehement individualism to an honest and intelligent ancestral pride. Some people may be quick to judge the project based on some controversial lyrics within "I will not Assimilate", but this track is the artist's resistant vocalisation and refusal to be forced into becoming part of the same guilt-trodden, overly dramatic liberal mold that contemporary society marches us toward. This is a far cry from the same finger-pointing, ignorant accusational racist garbage spewed by projects like Intolitarian — rather, it's a celebration of the self that shakes off the brittle frustrations of openly having any form of Caucasian racial pride in America.
Overall, this is a fiercely inspired and extremely impressive split, and every bit of what I've come to expect from Fire in the Head, as well as what I'll come to expect in the future from one of my new favorite industrialized projects in Bereft. I don't say it publicly very often (at least not within my reviews), but if you don't already own this, you should.
