Tigerknife & Menacer – Rotterdam Split (review)
Release date: 03-01-2024
Tigerknife and Menacer, two hardcore bands from Rotterdam, have put their hands together to release the Rotterdam Split EP. In the words of the bands: “Rotterdam Split is a (too) long-awaited collaboration of friends who want to put their city on the map”. For both bands, it’s the 3rd EP they’re releasing. Tigerknife came out with Prying Eyes last year, Revolt was the latest EP for Menacer. Let’s dive into this Rotterdam Split to hear what these bands have to offer us this year.
Rotterdam Split
Rotterdam Split is a 4-track EP, consistent with what both bands have put out so far. In terms of sound, it’s also pretty much what we would expect from these guys. Raw hardcore, maybe a little harder than we would expect. Where for instance Menacer’s Revolt had a little more breakdowns and a little more room for orchestrations and synths, Rotterdam Split is just one big thumping parade of heaviness. That might be the Tigerknife influence since this latest EP is more in line with what the band presented us with with Pyring Eyes.
That doesn’t mean there are no breakdowns on the EP. The first track, Suffocate, gives us a nice, screeching dissonant headbanging karate kick breakdown at the end of the track. Unsettled starts with the dark sound Suffocate left of. Dissonant chords, and more breakdowns. The heavy, low grunts at the end add to the noise, only to give us some room to breathe with a small glimpse of the atmospheric stuff Menacer tends to do.
King Vulture is a little more straightforward, heavy growls, mid-tempo riffs, pounding drums, and the realization that the breakdowns can get even lower and slower than before. With Infestations we return to the fast double kicks again, even though the track stays as heavy and dark as before.
Final thoughts
I love seeing bands supporting each other, and releasing a split EP is the ultimate support. These bands are doing something very similar, so this EP truly sounds like it could have been either one of the bands. With a four-track EP I don’t really need to give you a recommendation since you can just listen to the whole thing in about 10 minutes. That’s certainly the case with a hardcore EP like this. However, Unsettled currently has the most streams, so I might not be the only one who really likes that track.
You can find Menacer and Tigerknife on Facebook. Tigerknife has a page in our database as well.
