Two bands and two Irishmen comprise this split demo between the black metal band Meiche and the more melodic death metal group For Ruin. Both musicians play in the two bands, but switch instruments relative to the group. For instance, in Meiche the man simply known as John provides drums, keyboard, and rhythm guitar while Taranis growls and plays both bass and rhythm guitar, while For Ruin is mostly John’s affair, with Taranis providing guest vocals. Let’s discuss Meiche, shall we? It’s always hard to discuss groups like Meiche, because I can’t really bash them and feel good about myself in the morning. Nor can I praise them too highly. Falling somewhere in the middle of the black metal spectrum, the group plays serviceable music with a few interesting riffs here and there, but nothing to really distinguish them from every other black metal brewer busying themselves with drowned out production work in cold, decrepit basements. Most interesting of the four tracks provided is the last, a cover of Celtic Frost's “Return to the Eve.” Its thematic riff bobs and weaves, and Meiche redefines the original's construct of black metal while maintaining an ethereal and muddy atmosphere. I would encourage the group to record more original material in the same vein as early Celtic Frost, as they have an obvious knack for that style. The remaining three tracks are a lesson in patience. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but for the most part the pace is pretty plodding, and unlike Drudkh, who manage to create a persistently enchanting and thematic atmosphere in nearly all of their tracks, Meiche seems pretty happy in maintaining a stagnant grimness. The second track, “Sadistic Necrohell Torture,” has a punk meets screeching black metal approach that’s almost refreshing, but about a minute into it Taranis and John settle for a more standard black metal formula. For Ruin extracts some of Meiche’s black metal luridness and incorporates it into a melodic death metal vibe to establish a sound that, unlike Meiche, manages to distinguish For Ruin from its peers. “Vertigo” is the first of five For Ruin tracks on the split, and John was smart in selecting it as the group’s opener, as it does a good job in breeding excitement in the listener. It has the technicality of early In Flames and the intensity of first wave black metal, without leaning too much in either direction. There’s an outrageously addicting riff that makes an appearance about every 45 seconds, as well. The next track, “End,” is a step backward, mostly because it fails to ever reach the pinnacle that the opening minute promises. It’s as if the stagnancy of Meiche crept into the track and died. After another similar example of stagnancy, “Treading,” an instrumental track, picks up the pace. John couldn’t have provided a more beautiful arrangement of simplistic guitar work if he spent a year in the Alps recording a hymn to the snow gods. He takes his time building the riff into a monstrous, driving theme with just a tinge of distortion, and the listener is rewarded with one of the most pleasantly melodic experiences provided by a self-financed release in 2005. Album closer “Apocalypse” shows its Meiche heritage most clearly, with slower riffs and occasional black metal screeches that succeed in producing a diverse and challenging arrangement of sounds. Again, John does an excellent job with a cover here (this time with Hypocrisy), and doesn't expand on but manipulate's the original's structure to create something new. If Taranis and John could butt heads to produce a few more riffs like the ones found in “Return to Eve,” Meiche would be well on its way to a more distinguishable sound, which is really all the group needs, as the drumming and solos are more than adequate as they stand. John has somewhat of the same problem in For Ruin, but more than half of what is offered on that end of the split is solid and about a quarter of it is excellent. If I were him, I would get back in the home studio and record a few more instrumentals, as the one offered on the split is gorgeous and truly deserving of a little flattering imitation.