Split CD of these two bands from Norway (Desperado) and Sweden (The Sound O.E.). Each band has four or five songs to offer. Desperado gets to kick off the colorful lineup, although what comes across here is anything but colorful. Somehow, the music of this band, founded in 2002, feels oppressive. The guitars build tension, sometimes clean and then releasing the mood in a kind of storm. The screaming vocals fit perfectly. I can't find a comparison to this hoarse growling. The second song conveys exactly what its name suggests, a tribute to the living dead. I don't know why, but that's how I would imagine a tribute to the less living in terms of mood: gloomy, with a kind of choir in the background that gives it a touch of black metal flair (in the calmer passages). The clear standout song of this band is their last one. Here, they charge forward and push the speed, which resonates with me the most. The vocals fit here, and a comparison to 80s hardcore easily comes to mind. No fear of organs, says The Sound O.E., who have been around since 2001 and play indie rock with roots in hardcore. The mood lightens a bit with their first song, which is quite catchy. The vocals are a bit of an acquired taste, but somehow similar to all sorts of indie bands. Not particularly pronounced, with a tendency to break. The song Requiem surprises with a great ending sequence (the organ rocks!), after the song has been meandering along. It continues just as well in the next song. Drums and bass start solo, then organ and crazy guitars, that's how I like it. Ey, am I off or on? Maybe the song is so great because the vocals are missing here? In any case, an absolute recommendation! The rest of the CD then drops off a bit. The Sound O.E. definitely strives for variety; in the last song (also instrumental), they incorporated a violin that comes across nicely. Overall, a CD whose first songs by Desperado can be enjoyed well in the car, nice and loud, and off we go. The Sound of O.E. delivered a great instrumental hit with Am I off or not?, which is absolutely worth it. The downsides are the packaging (no lyrics in the booklet) and the previous release of each individual piece. Okay, with The Sound of O.E., it seems that this only happened on vinyl, so it's already sensible for the poor people who have to get by without a basic setup. All in all, surprisingly good musically, especially since I usually prefer other music. Specifically, the songs of the second band get better with each listen.
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