Mighty Midgets / Revenge Of The Psychotic Man / Fist Of The North Star / Broken Aris – Split

The art of the four-band split is akin to the art of the compilation.  The disc needs bands that are similar but distinct, complimentary but contrasting, and to standout without upstaging.  In other words it’s a balancing act of genres and talent – not a simple feat.  Well, the good folks at TNS Records, 5 Feet Under Records, and Stik Man Records were up to the task despite their continental and oceanic divides, each contributing a band (or two) under the aptly titled feature, Four Band Split.

Featuring a common sound nestled somewhere between skate-punk and technical hardcore, Mighty Midgets, Revenge Of The Psychotic Man, Fist Of The North Star, and Broken Aris unite for twenty tracks making for one of the most complete splits in recent memory.  Listeners are treated to what could have easily passed as four furious EP, but which comes across as a killer single product.

Aalborg, Denmark quintet Mighty Midgets lead the charge with a relentless brand of smash-and-grab hardcore meets melodic speed punk.  Propelled by rip-roaring lead vocalist Troels Højgaard Sørensen, opener “Thoughts On Democracy” roars out of the gate like a bull ready to impale its matador.  There’s no question that fans of Star Fucking Hipsters will have found their overseas counterpart.  “Put the hard back in hardcore” belts Sørensen on the burning breakdown of “Jagged Edges,” an eruption serving as the perfect counter weight to their melodic foundation.  Mighty Midgets make a clear statement for those who can’t get enough breakdowns with their melody.

Revenge Of The Psychotic Man up the ante with six razor sharp tracks sure to leave your eardrums blistered and swollen.  With most tracks clocking in around the one-minute mark, the Manchester trio gives a nod to 80’s punk pioneers and countrymen The Exploited, with their disjointed, thrashy, mile-a-minute ambitions.  The songs are unforgivingly brief and to the point, which serves the band’s six-songs-in-seven-minutes whirlwind well.  They’re not the most distinct of the spit, but “The End Of Everything” gets in a strong final word with a salvo of solos and a tempo with a mind of its own.

Fist Of The North Star kicks off the back half, largely stealing the show from here on out.  The Nashville, Tennessee five-piece uses their bloated cast size to its fullest, devoting two band members strictly to guitar duties and spreading the remaining three around for drums, bass, and vocals.  As “Peaches” roars open it should become obvious that they are the little-known kings of technical speed punk, sitting “at the top the food chain” sharpening their razor sharp axe of “metal” work.  Featuring more “full” and “micro” solos than I can count, guitarists Chris J. and Trey have something in the works at any given moment.  Newcomer Hardluck Jay (the product of years of auditions for a replacement vocalist) provides a ragged set of pipes meshed with just the right amount of melody to carry tracks like “Burning Out” both in attitude and lyric content.  Four songs alone take up as many pages as the six of their machine-gun paced counterparts, and each word is well worth following along with.

Sundsvall, Sweden’s Broken Aris close out the disc with something a little different.  The poppiest of the bunch, the band’s take on 90’s skatepunk gets the job done with less impact.  If you recall countrymen Flippin’ Beans from a few years back you’ll know what to expect.  Of the four songs, closer “Yens” makes the biggest statement with its grimy, rough execution, while those like “Mr. Snowman” reveal some foundational cracks rooted in the band’s pitchy vocal delivery, which awkwardly shifts between clean falsetto and strained cries.  It’s a case of good enough, but is slightly disappointing in the context of such strong talent.

On the whole though, this Four Way Split is exemplary of how to put together a killer, multi-talented, transcontinental compilation.  Think of Fist Of The North Star as the deserving headlining act withRevenge Of The Psychotic Man and Mighty Midgets and even Broken Aris as the crowd riling supporting acts.  If technical speed punk is your thing, there’s no better way to get to know some of the genre’s top talent than with this stand alone Four Way Split.