Acualli/The Haunting Presence: Transform with Limitless Will (2014)

We are about to dive deep into the Black Twilight Circle over the next few days.  I have covered a few of the bands on their own, such as Ashdautas and Volahn, and then I had the very large compilation.  And I purchased a number of individual releases from a seller recently.

Up first is a split between two of the bands that were included on the compilation.  This is a short split, consisting of just two songs, though the songs are each a little longer.

ACUALLI: "BECOMING ONE"

Honestly, this track is fantastic.  I was not blown away by Acualli on the compilation, finding the song far too short to get much out of.  That is not the case this time around as the song is a swirling opus of chaotic riffs and deep, snarled vocals.  It is the sound of death and decay.  This time around, Acualli did grab my attention.  Unfortunately there is not much out there by this band.  Beyond this split and their appearance on the compilation, they only have one demo.  That is a shame because after hearing this track, I definitely want to hear more from Acualli.

THE HAUNTING PRESENCE: "THE ULTIMATE CLIMAX OF MADNESS AND PARANOIA WHICH ALTERED THE JUDGMENT OF THE USELESS MASSES"

Well, the title is certainly a mouthful.  I enjoyed The Haunting Presence's addition to the compilation, but was disappointed with the production.  The production has not improved.  The vocals are absolutely buried in the mix, which is sort of a shame, because the music is horrifying, the soundtrack to a particularly eerie horror movie.  The song is extremely eerie and malevolent sounding, with riffs that more closely resemble death metal.  The vocals, what can be heard of them, are particularly savage, and would have made the song that much better with a decent mix.

I prefer Acualli of these two bands, but that is mostly due to the significantly better production value.  I probably would have like The Haunting Presence more if the mix was better.