While we all eagerly await for new full length records from hardcore/punk heavyweights, CONVERGE and DROPDEAD, the aforementioned bands have given us a little morsel to satiate our hunger. This 7" inch split release features one song from each band. So yeah, two songs total may not sound like much but please withhold judgment until you hear them. It may sound totally cliche but these songs are adrenaline shots of energy.

CONVERGE’s “Runaway” sounds like the song title implies. Kurt Ballou’s guitar roars like an elephant on the loose before the band blast forward with a verse riff that could fit on any Scandinavian black metal album. The other CONVERGE trademarks, powerhouse drumming, bulldozer bass, and scathing vocals, are all here. This is the way 2:05 of pure intensity should sound.

DROPDEAD’s “Paths of Glory” is even more succinct. Ultra tight with catchy vocal lines, the band only holds back the tempo for a bit near the end just to stretch out before the speed returns again.

This split is a nice little nugget that helps to celebrate both bands’ twenty years bashing out great music. (Deathwish Inc.)