Split EPs are something of a hidden treasure for music fans. Sometimes they mix genres, and other times they bring together some of the best in a specific genre to craft a longform listen that opens fans up to new bands in one of the most natural ways possible; it’s almost comparable to discovering a new band lower on the bill of a band you originally came to see. Record label Nuclear Blast is hoping to do just this with three bands on their roster: Fit For an Autopsy, Thy Art is Murder, and Malevolence. The Aggression Sessions is a six-song compilation with each band showing off both a new song and a cover song, of At The Gates, Cannibal Corpse, and Anastacia. Is this EP worth checking out?
On The Aggression Sessions, you can expect to hear the order of Fit For an Autopsy, then Thy Art is Murder, then Malevolence, twice in succession. The former two have been on Nuclear Blast for several years, whereas Malevolence self-releases under their licensing. There’s a bit of a popularity gap between the first two and Malevolence, but there’s no shortage of talent within the English metal group. FFAA kicks things off with “Hellions”, a signature heater of a track on-par with the rest of the band’s discography. Thrashy riffs and blast beats aside, I felt an urge to growl along to the hook “Caged fucking animals, begging to die a perfect death” as vocalist Joe Bad commands what’s probably the best track on The Aggression Sessions.
Thy Art is Murder’s original song on The Aggression Sessions is “Until There Is No Longer” and it’s practically a required listen after “Hellions”. Anyone that knows both Fit For an Autopsy and Thy Art is Murder knows that these two share a common brand of deathcore that’s equal parts punishing, fast-paced, and grand in scale; it’s worth following along the lyrics that paint the picture of a war-torn battlefield and the sins of man. Malevolence brings a change of pace with “Waste of Myself” as this band showcases more of a beatdown hardcore style in contrast of FFAA/TAIM. That isn’t to say it’s out-of-place on The Aggression Sessions – it’s almost like a breather before the cover songs as Malevolence’s clean vocals and slower BPM are just as headbang-worthy as the prior two tracks.
On to the covers in The Aggression Sessions, as Fit For an Autopsy covers At The Gates’ “Under a Serpent Sun”. Joe Bad flexes his range as he sticks to the higher range of unclean vocals to match ATG’s Tomas Lindberg’s run off the 1995 progenitor to many metal bands’ sounds to this day. Just as Bad hits highs in the ATG cover, CJ McMahon bellows his lows in the iconic “Hammer Smashed Face” by Cannibal Corpse. Hearing this 1994 track with 2023 production from the more-than-capable Thy Art is Murder is like hearing it for the first time; some may prefer the original but I can think of few other bands that could do a legendary song like this proper justice. Meanwhile, Malevolence closes out The Aggression Sessions with a dark-horse cover of Anastacia’s “Left Outside Alone”. The biggest departure on this EP, I laughed heartily hearing this pop-rock track under a nu-metal/-core guise, and came around after a few listens to ultimately enjoy the peculiarity on display.
Save for the Malevolence cover, Fit For an Autopsy and Thy Art is Murder play it pretty safe on their renditions of classic metal tracks on The Aggression Sessions. I was hoping for these talented groups to inject some of their flair into these classics as opposed to beat-for-beat covers, but at the same time, they’re fun to hear with modern bells and whistles. I also wish there were some crossover vocal features, especially since CJ McMahon has a deep track record of showing up all over metal. Still, The Aggression Sessions is a serviceable EP and most listeners will come away craving 1 or 2 songs after all is said and done.
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