Mycelium Cloak / Righteous Propaganda split cassette
An interesting tape that features two bands with distinct yet complimentary sounds. I was fully prepared to dislike this for a few reasons. First off, I find the artwork to be quite lacking. It’s boring and offers no indication of what the bands might be like stylistically. Strikes two and three are the respective band names. MYCELIUM CLOAK doesn’t really roll off the tongue, and RIGHTEOUS PROPAGANDA is about as generic as it gets. The music supersedes all of this, thankfully. MYCELIUM CLOAK dishes out some left-of-center hardcore that skillfully incorporates elements of powerviolence, post-rock, and metal. A bit of a slow burn, but the band is tight and the tunes are well-constructed. RIGHTEOUS PROPAGANDA offers a more direct take on powerviolence, with a plethora of blastbeats and a killer fuzz-forward tone. The unexpected inclusion of a cover of “Daddy Never Understood” by DELUXX FOLK IMPLOSION won me over.