Review by Vladimir on January 8, 2024.

Here I am back with another review regarding a split release of two bands. This time, I’ll be covering an independent split release of Lvctvs (Venezuela) and Suspirium (El Salvador) called Versos De Una Insignificante Vida, released digitally on December 31st, 2023. 

Both bands incorporate melancholic depressive black metal fused with a bit of dark ambient, although with an entirely different approach to the songwriting and a completely different musical expression too. Suspirium is much more oriented towards a dark ambient style, with the first track 'La Noche De Los Poetas Olvidados' being a half ambient half black metal track, whereas the second track 'Reflexiones De Una Existencia Vana' is a 3-minute clean guitar instrumental that transitions to the last track on this release, which is the only track by Lvctvs. Lvctvs on the other hand has the longest track on this split release, and it is a pretty maniacal and melancholic black metal song which feels like two tracks in one, with a very solid atmospheric flow. Both bands may be similar in style, yet they are very different in terms of their expression through music. 

Although I personally avoid comparing bands on split releases either due to stylistic differences or perhaps different lyrical ideas, but in this case, I felt that Lvctvs provided a much better output than Suspirium. The reason being is that the first track 'La Noche De Los Poetas Olvidados' felt a bit way too inconsistent with the arrangement, especially on the other half of the song when it just randomly transitions from slow to a fast blast-beating with tremolo picking riffs, which at some point made me think that another song started playing in the background. The second track 'Reflexiones De Una Existencia Vana' is fine and there isn’t really anything I could complain about that song in particular, plus it nicely transitions to the final track by Lvctvs, which felt a lot more focused and well-structured. I personally felt a bit that both bands don’t go together that well due to how each one expresses himself differently, although considering the fact that both are DSBM projects, the combination of their songs isn’t a complete misfire. The only real issue that I have with this split release is that it feels really short, with a total of exactly 20-minute length that quickly draws itself to a conclusion without there being a big payoff in the end. The production of both bands has a raw sound with a buzzsaw guitar tone, raw vocals and a solid drum sound. 

I personally think that this split is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of how both bands decided to unite under one banner. I think that the main criticism that I have towards this issue is just how it feels far less engaging and attractive than it should be, especially since I ended up preferring one sole track by Lvctvs over the two that were done by Suspirium. If you are interested to check this split release for yourself, feel free to do so and see what you make of it. 

Rating: 6.6 out of 10