Those who follow the modern black metal underground will surely be aware of a renaissance on American soil, of a provocative rawness instigated by the likes of Lamp of Murmuur and Sanguine Relic. Of the bands that have followed in their wake, both SANGUINE WOUNDS and DEVOURING FAMINE have quickly and prolifically made their names known, and The Seal of Vampyric Tyranny brings the two one-(wo)man bands together for a half-hour of exclusive material.

The split’s title is indeed apt, for SANGUINE WOUNDS especially maintain a grim & ghostly style of vampiric black metal that focuses on the weirder and more malformed aspects of Mütiilation and Vlad Tepes and extends them into an uneasy fever dream. A mood-setting intro is followed by two epic tracks of their characteristic cantankerousness. DEVOURING FAMINE, for their part, have maintained a sound that spans a whole long-lost decade’s worth of monochromaticism, from Malicious-era Gorgoroth to pre-“religious” DeathSpell Omega. Still ancient, their two black metal tracks here maintain that aesthetic purity but twist it in surprising ways, all before a closing funeral organ lament. Revive your bloodlust with this vinyl edition of The Seal of Vampyric Tyranny.