Reverend Bizarre/Minotauri: “Apocalyptic Riders/Black Magic Triangle 7”

The fourth split single in the series, perhaps the most anticipated to date, unities two of the mightiest Doom Metal bands from Finland. After a brief drum roll, Reverend Bizarre lunges in with a driving riff, which is guaranteed to flex the neck muscles. As the song continues to build the absence of the ever-familiar deep vocal delivery becomes conspicuous. However, it is not to the detriment of the song as it is a powerful instrumental in its own right. Then a dramatic narration begins, in the Shakespearean tradition, by a guest speaker, Patrick Walker. To be honest, it comes together and really works with the song. This is what exclusive cuts are all about. Granted, it is unlikely to grace the stage yet you never know when the Finns may share the stage with Warning. Flipping over, Minotauri delivers a devilish hymn in honour of female genitalia and oral sex with the cover art to boot. But the real score is the song itself as it is one of the darkest the band has ever recorded. It is slow, eerie and genuinely haunting. In fact, it should be incorporated into a horror film, as it would surely accentuate the cinematic experience. Roll on the full-length album. In case you were wondering, the single sold out months ago.

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