Exu and Shiver — Split
Before we get to the sounds, I must say the packaging is really intriguing. The C60, hand-dubbed tape comes housed in a hand-sewn cloth bag and inserts. Love the DIY aesthetic!
Exu kicks things off with 5 tracks of focused industrial mirth and mayhem. We first get 2 brief intro pieces: “Intro” which literally lasts 3 seconds and “Endinsight,” which sounds like the stripped down theme of the Exorcist (at least how I vaguely recall it at the moment) played with a kid’s organ. “Totemic Angst” is longer piece of focused repetitive metal clang, distorted synth tones, and haunting vocal work. “All These Little Things” is the most composed of the Exu tracks, reminiscent of a stripped down version of something Trepaneringsritualen might produce. “FTPA,” is the final track on side A. Blown out electronics, eerie atmospherics, and chopped and inhuman vocals, coalesce to deliver by far the loudest and most chaotic of Exu’s offerings.
On the flipside we have Shiver. Shiver certainly bears some similarities with Exu, however adding some surprising moments to his industrial noise crawl. We begin with “Be Silent, Be Still” a real chiller of a track, with droning guitar, strained screams, and dismal electronics. “Grey Clouds” continues along this path, but with some added samples to the mix.“Praise” really threw me for a loop, incorporating orchestral moments into this dark and morose piece.
There is some really good DIY industrial going on here. Both artists compliment each other well and if you like one, you’re sure to like the other. This was released back in 2014, and it doesn’t appear that they’ve done much with these projects since. Hopefully, both are just hibernating because I would love to hear more down the road.