Review by George on March 19, 2020.

Terminal Aggressor II, the newest single by UK black metal masters Dragged Into Sunlight, is a release slathered in controversy. I'm going to attempt to avoid discussing the drama in too much detail, but I will mention that according to the band they likely won't be making any money off it, so if you wish to buy it just know that you're not supporting them by doing so.

Now, onto the music itself. The first half of the 29-minute song goes between sinister, ambient clean guitar melodies, classic Dragged Into Sunlight movie samples and harsh, abrasive noise sections. It's a great buildup, with some screams in the noise sections rivalling those on Hatred For Mankind, an album that singlehandedly made T one of my favourite black metal vocalists. At around the 15-minute mark, the last and probably most powerful noise sections quietens down, morphing into an almost industrial melody as tribal-sounding drums emerge from the background to drive the track forward. Behind the newfound rhythm begins a crushingly low guitar riff. The buildup is immaculate. And then with a tortured shriek from T, the low riff becomes a dissonant melody and Terminal Aggressor II truly begins.

The track itself is capable enough, with loud black metal sections delivering about what you'd expect from the band but never reaching quite the same levels of power or brutality as they did on Hatred For Mankind. The riffs are certainly good, and the vocals are well-delivered, but I can't escape the feeling that I've heard it all before. It's missing a key ingredient that make Dragged Into Sunlight who they are: pure, unfiltered evil. On their earlier efforts hatred and misanthropy oozed through every note and here that rawness is absent.

The second half truly shines during the slower, clean parts. Their inclusion calls back to similar sections in the beginning, which gives the track a sense of continuity and progression, two essential elements to any song as ambitious as this one in terms of length. One of its most admirable traits is that at the end of the piece you can genuinely look back and reflect on the emotions it's taken you through and the journey you've just been on. The majority of my all-time favourite songs, the ones truly worth treasuring and remembering, do this, so it's nice to see more bands reaching for that goal.

Overall, an aspiring effort from Dragged Into Sunlight has mostly paid off despite losing the evil edge that some of their earlier discography has. If I had to name one standout section, it would be the transition from noise into metal - I can't understate how perfect that two-minute buildup is to me, I love it to the point where I almost feel that the rest of the track isn't worthy of it. However, there's great unreached potential in this sound, so if this is the direction they're taking on their upcoming full-length, color me excited.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Fran on May 10, 2025.

In all honesty, I'm not that big on Denouncement Pyre, and this is really for no special reason. It's just those very few times that I've heard them, it didn't click with me. The reason why I have this split LP on my shelf is, and you've probably guessed it, the Diocletian part. Of course, tastes evolve, so I decided to give this one another spin, and then pour my findings into a blathering review of sorts. Yes, that sounds like a plan, alright.

So here we are, and so is Denouncement Pyre. Listening to this, I immediately realize why the music didn't click with me, and that is because their take on the black/death metal style is more focused on streamlined execution and a warped sense of melody, in place of balls-out dementia and frothing at the mouth aggression. Does that make it bad? No, not in the slightest. The band does put in a varied effort that combines a rolling sense of midtempo pacing with faster parts, with the whole being firmly rooted in the 90s Scandinavian sound, with a death metal twist added. They have me somewhat thinking of what bands such as Forest of Impaled, early Belphegor, In Aeternum and late 90's/early 00's Gehenna (NOR) did. It's a well-executed blend of tremolo-picked riffing, blasting velocity, scraping dissonance and a ferociously growling vocal delivery, brought with an energetic flow that also betrays a subtle thrash metal influence. This melange is being held together by a decent production that does not overdo it on the modern trickery, thankfully, but could've used more fleshing out when it came to the guitar sound. Despite this little slip-up, the music manages to maintain enough grit and subtle flowing force to strike out in a convincing manner, which honestly suits me well enough.

Well then, on with the part I bought this for, the mighty Diocletian, who do what they always do, and that is to batter the listener senseless with brute force. This is a total war metal 101, alright. Guitars like belt sanders are roaring on with relentless force, underpinned by a battering full speed ahead assault of blastbeats artillery, while a croaking madman is spewing forth blasphemous intonations with vomitous force. Throughout, there are screeching dive-bomb guitar leads strewn about, with only some occasional slower pounding section allowing some breathing space in between. With a production that follows suit in all of this with a firm focus on blunt force, Diocletian mostly does what you've come to expect from them, which is letting loose with reckless abandon. It's nothing you're not familiar with; there are plenty of parallels to be made with like-minded spirits such as Necroholocaust, Black Witchery and Nuclear Desecration, but Diocletian can follow in their trail with ease, exuding the same lunatic power and demented aggression as their brethren.

As a split, this is a varied twosome for sure. Where the A side has the streamlined variation of Denouncement Pyre on offer, the B side fulfills the raging noise quota with ease, with both establishing a different sort of aggression, while still exuding the same vibe. For those who like their black/death metal in a broader sense, this is recommended stuff.

Rating: 8 out of 10