Red Sparowes / Made out of Babies / Battle of Mice - Triad

Nominally a choice format of black metal or underground hardcore, the spilt CD is a radically underused medium, nevermind a split that goes three ways. But Neurot's Triad split between Red Sparowes, Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice feels less like three seperate bands and more like the work of one band without a steady line-up. Swapping spit and sharing members, the two non-instrumental groups are voiced by the forked-tongued Julie Christmas, who turns in an effeminately brutal vocal turn with Battle of Mice that makes her Made Out of Babies full length sounds like Wham. No female metal vocalist has ever been this amazing. Outwith Julie Xmas's utterly essential performance, the music is standard Neurot affair: huge washes of post-metal noodling that, depending on one's mood, can be either atmospheric and cinematic or directionless and self-indulgent. [Ali Maloney]