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Spawn of Possession: Incurso

As if it's not enough that Relapse Records already has one of the most incredible technical death metal acts going today, Obscura, on their roster, but they've now also scooped up one of the other heavy hitters on the scene, Spawn of Possession from Sweden. It's been five years since the band released their masterpiece Noctambulant, and though there has been some line-up changes to go along with the inactivity, the band have not lost a step as this latest CD Incurso is every bit as good as its predecessor.

The 2012 line-up of Spawn of Possession includes Dennis Röndum on vocals, Christian Muenzner on lead guitar (current Obscura, ex-Necrophagist), founding member Jonas Bryssling on guitar, drummer Henrik Schönström , and bassist Erlend Caspersen. This is perhaps the most potent configuration of the band yet, and having Muenzner on board, who is apparently going to do double duty with this band as well as Obscura, is the icing on the cake. Incurso is face-melting, jaw dropping, pulverizing, and quite simply a brutal slice of intense technical death metal from start to finish. Röndum, who was the original drummer of the band, sounds right at home here on vocals, as his deep roar and wicked growls fit right in alongside the pummeling blasting and acrobatic lead guitar fills and crushing riffage. Muenzner & Bryssling create a non-stop supply of inventive, complex riffs on each track, and despite the extreme intricate nature of these songs, each are memorable and catchy. "The Evangelist" for example, contains some of the wildest interplay on the album, as technical riffs and weaving lead guitar fills zig-zag through the mix with near reckless abandon, but in the end it all makes perfect sense. On "Servitude of Souls" the monstrous riffs do battle with Caspersen's sinewy lead bass lines, and "Spiritual Deception" is crushing, technical death metal at its finest, reminding slighty of the mighty Nile. Closing number "Apparition" adds in some wild keyboard effects for a truly epic feel, and will instantly appeal to any prog-metal fan who doesn't mind growling vocals.

Honestly, there's not a weak track to be found here, as Incurso is just packed to the gills with brilliant musicianship and songs that combine brutality & technicality to absolute perfection. Ironically, Obscura released their equally impressive Omnivium album to kick off 2011, and by the end of the year it remained one of the most amazing technical death metal albums by any extreme act that year. Here we are one year later and Spawn of Possession is basically setting the stage in similar fashion. Incurso is that good folks.


Track Listing
1. Abodement
2. Where Angels Go Demons Follow
3. Bodiless Sleeper
4. The Evangelist
5. Servitude of Souls
6. Deus Avertat
7. Spiritual Deception
8. No Light Spared
9. Apparition

Added: April 28th 2012
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band MySpace
Hits: 3818
Language: english

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Spawn of Possession: Incurso
Posted by Jeff B, SoT Staff Writer on 2012-04-28 07:53:13
My Score:

If you've been blown away by the killer technical death metal from newer bands like Obscura or Abysmal Dawn, Relapse Records now has another band on their roster to satisfy that itch for brutal, semi-melodic, and inhumanly technical death metal. Enter Spawn of Possession, a Swedish five-piece that has made their major label debut, and third album overall, with the masterful Incurso. I was, ashamedly, unfamiliar with these Swedes before a promotional copy of this album rolled into my inbox, but 'better late than never' certainly applies here. Incurso is Spawn of Possession's first album since 2006's Noctambulant, and although there have been a few lineup changes over the past five-plus years, the band's technical-edged extreme metal sound remains fully in-tact.

Technical death metal is known by most people as a genre focused on blinding guitar leads, frantic drum patterns, and brutally challenging composition styles, and while this all certainly applies to Spawn of Possession, they take the dizzying sound of technical death metal and showcase the genre at its highest potential. Very much like their labelmates in Obscura, Spawn of Possession is not afraid to sneak some memorable hooks into their otherwise punishing tech-death sound, and I think this versatility and modern-sounding approach in terms of songwriting is what sets Spawn of Possession apart from the hordes of bands that are still trying to relive the classic days of Cryptopsy, Atheist, and Death. Incurso shows the result of a forward-thinking, talented band taking the very best of technical death metal and updating it for the modern age.

After the ominous intro in the form of "Abodement", the band dives head-first into brutal, technical death metal in "Where Angels Go Demons Follow". For the most part, technical death metal is the name of the game throughout Incurso, but frequent changes within riff structures, a monstrous rhythm section, and rather dynamic songwriting keeps the album from ever feeling one-dimensional. The copious amounts of keyboards in "Apparition" even brings 2011's Agony from Fleshgod Apocalypse to mind, with its symphonic flirtations over-top of brutal tech-death working like a charm.

With the musicianship also remaining impeccable across the board (I especially have to give a nod to Henrik Schönström - few drummers manage to kill my self esteem as much as this guy!), it's really tough to find any complaints when we're talking about a technical death metal album of this caliber. Incurso secures Spawn of Possession's place among the elite modern tech-death acts, and I'd recommend this within a heartbeat to anyone who enjoys music from the likes of Obscura, Abysmal Dawn, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Atheist, or late-period Death. In short, Incurso is a modern death metal masterpiece and a landmark album for extreme metal in 2012 - don't miss it!



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