Birushanah & Drain the Sky (Japan & USA) - Split (2010)

birushanah & drain the sky split

Tracklist:
Birushanah
1. Anagura
Drain the Sky
2. Even
3. Prelude to the Pendulum Swing Back
4. Three Winds Spread the Ashes of Our Memories
5. Failure is an Orphan When Victory Has Many Fathers
Total playing time 36:34

Birushanah is a folk sludge band if there ever was one. Also just about the fastest sludge band ever. Still, nobody in their right mind could call them anything other than just that - sludge. There's something frightening about the Japanese and their tradition, starting with the Emperor's noble samurai (see their code of conduct, Bushidō), declining inversely in parallel to industrialization, inevitably left on the backs of a few, just as "noble" madmen like Yukio Mishima (see his 1960 short story, Patriotism + the story of his life and suicide), but it goes on to this day, this (now) paradoxical devotion and excellence in art and cultural things in-general. Steeped in Japanese traditional music (most of all, rhythm), Birushanah provide but one song, Anagura, on first listen not insanely complex like their earlier works, but ultimately their most epic, exhilarating chapter in eighteen and a half minutes of a great catastrophe composed (relevantly, I wonder when Corrupted’s coming back?). Even if you don't care about extreme music or whatever, Sougyo's playing ought to fascinate any the slightest bit interesting bass player.

The other half of the release pertains to Drain the Sky, a band hailing from the States, delivering four speedy, emotionally loaded, hardcore punk-born (e.g. His Hero Is Gone) post-sludge songs (refuse to use the brand of neocrust, although others might) without the build-up-inducing intensity of Osakan folk sludge, even much less atmospherically enthralling, although exactly atmosphere is what they seem to aim for very often, but take what I say with a grain of salt ‘cause I’m certainly biased toward Birushanah’s indisputable superiority over most of contemporary extreme music (based on composition, at least / yes, riffs). The split's a joy to listen to any way I choose to put it.

Kiku! (Mediafire)

Get it on CD (S.M.D.) or 12" vinyl (Destructure).

Post a Comment

10 Comments

  1. I saw Birushanah about a year ago. Sorry for the cliches, but they melted my face and blew my mind. Incredible and quite unique in my limited experience. The track on this is great, love how it starts.

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  2. Aw man, the first band is AWESOME. Do you pronounce it BEERU-ShaNAH?

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  3. Also, speaking of Corrupted, according to this they've got their old bassist. Explains a lot.

    http://knowyourconjurer.blogspot.com/2010/02/birushanah-akai-yami-2007.html

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  4. "Anagura" also reminds me a lot of Tethuo's "Ranshuo," in that it goes SO quickly for being a sludge-based song.

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  5. Well that's why I mentioned Corrupted, Nigel (regarding Sougyo). :P Apparently he had a very specific bass teacher who has been a huge influence on his playing. The only thing relatively similar to Birushanah seems to be Corrupted's El Mundo Frio.

    P.S. I hope you checked the "Birushanah" tag: http://cephalochromoscope.blogspot.com/search/label/Birushanah

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  6. Haha, this makes both my Tethuo and my Corrupted comment irrelevant. Still, learn something new every day. Like, today I learned that Birushanah FUCKING RULE. Haha. And of course, I grabbed their LP and EP, as well. More people should use traditional folk music in extreme metal.

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  7. Fuck, the Birushanah side is so goddamn good! Can't thank you enough for turning me onto this band.

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  8. I'm gonna stir things up and say I like both sides! This thing is every bit as good as it should have been. Anyone know when/if the vinyl is coming out?

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  9. Seems to be already out, sarge. ;) http://www.destructure.org/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=262

    And an euro cheaper than the CD, at that, hahaha! I ought to add the info up there, anyhow...

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  10. Ah, I see the link now. Thanks. Been waiting months for this!

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