This is a split cassette, which means that there isn’t a lot of space within which to get a big taste of each band. Yet both Ophibre and Hunted Creatures make such massive dents in the universe with their sound that maybe the format is just right.

Ophibre’s track is a deep, metallic drone that quickly becomes hypnotic. With its minimalism, “A Harem of Moths” gives itself the breathing room it needs to fill the silences with power and the simple tones with meaning. In time, the static and buzz becomes sublime as well as eerie; try being calm during a bombing, and it might approach this assault on the senses.

Hunted Creatures ups the industrial ante on side two. The noisy drone here is blended with found sounds like gunfire, sirens, alarms, all of which almost serve as percussion. Beats created by sounds you normally associate with something ill going down make for a freaky beat indeed.

In all this is one of the better split tapes you’ll hear. Both Ophibre and Hunted Creatures stick to the drone, but their noise is layered with menace and surprise. 8/10 -- Mike Wood (15 April, 2009)