The self-titled EP from Buffalo-based band Split From the Mind channels a consuming hard-rocking vigor, inspired by acts like TOOL, Nine Inch Nails, and Queens of the Stone Age. Blending industrial grit with atmospheric depth and dynamic intensity, the EP thrives on contrasts; haunting introspection erupts into crushing riffs, and spoken-word reflections escalate into raw, soaring passion. Across six tracks, the band craft a visceral journey, balancing eerie soundscapes with explosive catharsis. It’s a thorough success from the trio of Stephen Wright (vocals, guitar), Douglas Griffith Jr. (drums), and Charles Sanfilipo (bass tracking). A consistent thematic hold also compels, chronicling a cycle of crisis and resolution that evolves with each track — from the opener’s striving to avoid past mistakes, to the questioning of power structures within “Power Is..” and “For Fuck’s Sake..”
“Patterns Of..” commences the EP with a powerful rock immersion. Buzzing guitar pulses and steady percussion drive into a sporadic vocal intrigue — “fighting for a better place / knowing I can get it right,” — as ardent distortion takes hold alongside. “I know that things can turn around,” an optimistic call lets out, intensifying into a soaring vocal emotion around mid-point. The traversal from understated introspection into a raucously gripping rock expanse reminds fondly of A Perfect Circle. A lyrical sense of falling is conveyed on the opener, and also on the subsequent “Falling..” — where the “I’m falling,” refrain melds with ferocious guitar tones and pit-pattering percussion for another replay-inducing success.
The EP continues to excel in its impassioned, heavy rock arsenal throughout. “Power Is..” also captivates in its initial contemplation and ascension into a rousing vocal push. The elongated “disgrace!” vocal sends chills as anthemic percussion and whirring guitars satiate at the one-minute turn. A moody, late-night entrancement takes hold on the subsequent “For Fuck’s Sake..” — with soaring guitar lines driving into crunchy distortion — while “Spit from the Grind..” achieves a climactic hard-rocking feverishness, in the build-up back around the three-minute turn, especially. EP finale “A Beat in the Dark..” continues the atmospheric rock prowess. “Just waiting on the summer sun,” a spoken-word vocal emanates, achieving a contagious impact in the “finding a way back to the start,” determination and ensuing “lost in the cold,” emotion. Split From the Mind thoroughly impresses with a consuming rock sound throughout this self-titled EP.
