Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Cream Abdul Babar / Teen Cthulhu - Cream Abdul Babar / Teen Cthulhu (2003)

OK, this is a kind of an odd release. I guess the rather short length for this split EP is one thing, with an average two and a half minute length per song. But when two different sounding bands come together to make this release, it can cause some confusion within the clans.

Cream Abdul Babar is more of an experimental noisecore band, edging in on sludge and add in some keys and horns, as evident in "Mahogany-Walled Executive Officer". The amount of experimentation and discordant rhythm makes them sound like a mix of Dog Fashion Disco and Today is the Day. It's not super bad though, unlike the next track... "Intruder Alert" is a 4-minute waste of time, with nothing but looped synth distortion. That band is certainly not a winner for me with that ear-f***ing sh*t.

Teen Cthulthu is a much better deal here, combining metalcore with symphonic black metal, before early Abigail Williams and Dance Club Massacre made it cool, exemplified greatly in "Astral Black". The following track "Crystal Castles" has more black metal than the previous track, with a melodic ending. "Xcalibr8" is another sh*tter though. It seems way too short at just one minute, and the hard-to-decipher-without-reading lyrics make a cheesy poem that a popstar could write. But I still enjoy those other two kick-A tracks on this side of the EP.

The cover art makes good usage of outer colors despite the image being distorted which brings its quality down to as much as that release itself. I'm really not sure how they made art much lower quality than those low-effort blackgaze album covers these days. And it doesn't change my opinion on this EP. It's an OK try with two great tracks by Teen Cthulhu. But the rest, particularly the Cream Abdul Babar side of the EP, thumbs down....

Favorites (only two tracks I like by Teen Cthulhu): "Astral Black", "Crystal Castles"