The idea behind a split release is, at its core, simple: take two or more bands, give each one side of the record, and release the whole thing as a single entity. What may initially seem like a practical arrangement often turns out to be much more than that. A split isn’t just a way to share costs or get music out faster — it’s primarily an opportunity to reach each other’s audience, explore musical common ground, and sometimes even engage in an artistic dialogue. At its best, the result is something greater than the sum of its parts.
Whether that was exactly the intention behind the upcoming split between the American Suicide Forest and the Canadian H V N W R D (pronounced Heavenward) is hard to say with certainty. What is clear, however, is that these two projects complement each other musically and thematically in a striking way. Both operate within the realm of Depressive Suicidal Black Metal (DSBM) — a niche within black metal characterized by lo-fi production, sprawling compositions, anguished vocals, and themes revolving around existential pain, self-loathing, and a profound sense of alienation.
Suicide Forest, hailing from Arizona, has established itself in recent years as one of the most sincere and compelling DSBM acts in North America. With a sound that balances between the atmospheric melancholy of early Xasthur and the raw despair of bands like Make a Change… Kill Yourself, Suicide Forest conjures a suffocating atmosphere that doesn’t seem intended to entertain, but rather to confront. Largely a one-man project, it offers little room for hope — and it is precisely in that bleakness that its strength lies.
H V N W R D, on the other hand, approaches DSBM from a slightly different angle. Where Suicide Forest immerses itself in a kind of quiet, nihilistic despair, H V N W R D leans more toward an almost epic approach to depression — with layered textures, sweeping melodies, and moments of near post-rock-like expansion. Yet the essence remains the same: inner struggle, introspection, the pain of existence wrapped in cold, atmospheric black gold.
This split, then, isn’t just a practical collaboration — it feels more like a meeting of two souls, each grappling with the same demons in their own way. It offers listeners a fascinating look at how DSBM can vary in sound and tone, without ever compromising the emotional core of the genre.
For fans of the more introspective side of black metal, this split is highly recommended: a raw and honest listening experience that offers no comfort, but rather acknowledgment of the darkness many silently carry.
80/100
H V N W R D.:
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Suicide Forest:
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