Review of Splitter - Avskräckande Exemplar

Avskräckande Exemplar marks the first time I’ve had the opportunity to review the same band twice, and beyond the minute trivial interest this might provide for some people, the fact that I haven’t even had ample time to forget about Splitter and they’re already back with twenty one tracks of new material speaks volume for their ability to stand on their own to feet as yet another grindcore band from Sweden to be reckoned with.

Not all that much has changed since En Sorglig Historia, however the change in production did cause me to raise my eyebrow a bit. By no means a bad move, I think the warmer sound brings them a bit more into their own, now there’s more distinction in the drums, and a better emphasis on unity of sound. For once I can actually hear and appreciate what a bassist is doing. I’ve always been a fan of the Swedish wall of sound approach ala Rotten Sound and Nasum, but I think the fact that Splitter, young as they are, are already willing to take chances, shows a damn fine amount of bravery that’s been lacking in a lot of extreme music. While we’re on that note, it takes some balls to release a grindcore album that is twice as long as its predecessor. Thankfully, the material for the most part holds up to a pretty impressive standard.

Splitter’s ability to play around with tension and dynamics has always been one of their major strong points. Be it the controlled fury behind Broden and Holm’s well-placed guitar work, or the maniacal passion of Thalberg’s vocals, Splitter have always been intelligent about their music. Splitter have given the entire album an air of drama and diversity within a consistent framework that gives Avskräckande Exemplar an undeniable sense of purpose and flow. The band still utilizes a sound primarily owing its character to Swedish grindcore, but Splitter has always played the style with more overt melodic overtones than anyone else I’m familiar with. And while that’s always been enough of a selling point to win me over, the fact that they also blend in healthy doses of frenzied crust in the vein of Skitsystem with some occasional nods to hardcore adds an extra dimension of madness and creativity to the whole endeavor.

From time to time the album can start to drag, but Splitter always manage to come back from the edge to stave off monotony. Even though I could have done without a few tracks towards the last quarter, the last two tracks were strong enough to almost make me not care. While Avskräckande Exemplar has enough merits in it’s own right to warrant purchase, I can’t help but feel that it misses the magic of En Sorglig Historia by just a bit. Regardless, the maturity and stylistic progression showcased on Avskräckande Exemplar makes it a damn fine album that's well beyond most of its peers.

Release Details

Splitter

Avskräckande Exemplar

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