The problem with split CDs is that everyone's treats them like some sort of battle of the bands, with a winner to be declared at disc's end. With this in mind, I'll go ahead and say it: La Mantra De Fhiqria kicks Bleeding Kansas's ass here. That's not to say that Bleeding Kansas is a bad band by any means; it's just a matter of a band that's good at what they do losing out to a band that could become one of the best at what they do. And it all works out great for the listeners, because the final product is eleven top notch songs of sweaty emocore played by sweaty kids in sweaty VFW halls.

Bleeding Kansas strikes first with five songs, and the California quintet isn't all that different from any number of bands on the scene today. You have your basic shouted/screamed/sometimes spoken vocals, your occasional chaotic breakdown, your strategically-placed metal riffage, and your tried and true disjointed melodies. Think Forstella Ford with a little less madness and you won't be too far off. Bleeding Kansas doesn't do anything terrifyingly inventive, but they sound confident, competent and credible. For a fairly new band, they have a tight grip on the whole angular rock thing, so much so that it wouldn't be surprising to see them expand their sound on future releases. You've probably already guessed that these aren't verse-chorus-verse-type songs, but there are still some catchy shout-alongs to stick with you all day long. These guys are definitely worth further investigation if you can't get enough DC-gone-spastic rock.

While Bleeding Kansas is good, La Mantra De Fhiqria is incredible. If they can pick out a new name that people actually have a chance of remembering (or pronouncing), these boys could become the premier screamo act of the day. There hasn't been a band this adept at playing mathy, visceral, soft/loud rock since Saetia broke up. La Mantra De Fhiqria has two superb vocalists, both of whom swing from the sickest screams to Bob Nanna-esque crooning on a dime. The music jumps from jangly emo to rhythmic post-punk with great fluidity, backed by staccato guitar riffs and a few jazzy bass chops. This is the sort of truly schizophrenic sound that most bands can only dream of. The only limitations on La Mantra De Fhiqria are those inherent to their chosen sound -- a lack of catchiness and moments of extreme dissonance -- although they have enough songwriting skill to avoid totally alienating listeners.

The audience for this split may be narrow, but pretty much anyone who enjoys the heavy side of emo will love these songs. Bands like this usually don't stick around for very long, but here's hoping that we hear more out of both acts in the future.