Review Summary: pg. 99's second release, thankfully, has better production than their first. Oh, and there's another band that's even less known then pg. 99 that plays before them.
Most of us know J.R. Hayes as the vocalist in Pig Destroyer. However, before PD, there was Enemy Soil. Granted, his vocal presence wasn’t nearly as immense on this split as it is on any Pig Destroyer record, but you can tell it’s him. Hayes aside, the Enemy Soil side of this record is more or less average. The guitarist and drummer don’t deviate from grindcore 101, and is there a bassist? If so, I can’t hear him.
pg. 99’s side of the split is considerably better, the biggest improvement from document #1 being the production. It is much cleaner here, and every member can be heard. Machine Revisited is considerably grind-influenced. Of course, pg. 99 has always been influenced by grind, but it’s never been as noticeable as here. Machine wouldn’t sound out of place at all on documents #5 or #8, which is a clear testimony to how good it is. Wood and Ink, on the other hand, is very generic, and although the bass sounds fabulous, the song could easily have been written by a less talented band.
Document #2 shows pg. 99 embracing more grind, and Enemy Soil, well, just kind of grinding.
