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Shroud Eater and Dead Hand are United in Doom on a Sludgy New Split

Stream the Southern riff worshippers' new split EP, which is out November 25 via Southern Druid.

​I love split releases, and I love them even more when both bands involved seem to be operating on the same wavelength. Mixing it up is a great way to expose one's listeners to a new sound or scene, but it's hard not to love a split that hands out a double dose of a genre you love—and invites you to delve into the respective catalogues of the bands involved. That's one of the strengths of this new Shroud Eater/Dead Hand joint—though they're separated geographically, both bands are fully united in doom.

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The specific kind of doom we're talking here is sludgier than most—I wouldn't tag it as pure sludge, but there's plenty of black tar on offer. Shroud Eater subscribe more to the Electric Wizard school of doom—windswept, lost soul vocals, unrelenting grooves, heaps of distortion—while Dead Hand reach for more of a lurching, cosmic YOB-inspired vibe. Whichever poison suits you better, you're going to win out either way, because on both, it all comes down to the power of the almighty riff. (I'm also quite fond of the way both of their names reference death and physical decay, but I'm a ghoul, so.)

The split is out November 25 via Southern Druid. Preorders​ are live now, and we've got both slabs streaming below. Doom or be doomed.

Kim Kelly is mellified on Twitter​.