Metal Storm logo
Spawn Of Possession - Noctambulant review




Bandcamp music player
Reviewer:
8.5

104 users:
8.27
Band: Spawn Of Possession
Album: Noctambulant
Release date: May 2006


01. Inception
02. Lash By Lash
03. Solemn They Await
04. Render My Prey
05. Eve Of Contempt
06. Sour Flow
07. By A Thousand Deaths Fulfilled
08. Dead & Grotesque
09. In My Own Greed
10. Scorched

It's without a doubt that Unique Leader Records hold a solid roster of rising Death Metal acts, they might have lost Decrepit Birth and Odious Mortem but they still have their hands full. Spawn Of Possession are among this roster and they happen to be one of the stand outs. What this band plays is Brutal Technical Death Metal with their own edge and this second LP, "Noctambulant", is an extremely technical piece of work however it's less brutal than their debut. Though what this band proves most of all, is that they're a pack of great musicians.

The musical content on this record is over the top, it's a sure thing that some of these guys know quite a bit about musical theory. Noctambulant holds impressive songwriting throughout it's entire ten songs and the guitarists Jonas B. and Jonas K. are for one thing, very efficient with their axes. The songs on this album, while being fairly brutal, have a lot of classical music influences and there's even a bit of jazz/fusion that can be heard here and there. What the guitars have to offer are complex yet melodic licks, great solos and memorable hooks that won't fail to stay in your head for who knows how long. The drums keep up without too much difficulty although they can be a little repetitive at times and I can tell you it isn't one of the strong points of the record. Various tempo changes are present throughout the whole album and the vocals remind me a little of Sauron's (ex-vocalist of Decapitated).

However, I don't believe this album is for everyone. Our band members here, cram up so much into one song that the end result might be a little overwhelming for some listeners. On the other hand, everything thing falls into place in their songs thanks to their musical knowledge, there is no useless "wankery".

On an end note, Noctambulant isn't an easy listen, some people might lose interest due to its complexity. Luckily there are other people like myself who enjoy challenging but rewarding music like this. So if you are into Technical Death Metal then this is a must have, the guitar work shines the whole way through this one. Spawn Of Possession shows a lot of promise and emerge as one of the top bands of this sub-genre.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 10
Originality: 9
Production: 8

Written by Visioneerie | 25.03.2009




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 5   Visited by: 85 users
15.06.2009 - 12:51
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
It really takes time to get into. I've listen to it twice, and still can't seem to enjoy.
----

----
member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
Loading...
07.01.2010 - 06:48
EntityOfMalice14

This album slays!!!!! intersesting unorthodox riffs and very memorabe solos, the scales and modes used really reflect their songwriting and proves their next will be even more stellar
Loading...
12.01.2010 - 18:57
Killitorous

I love this band.....my band deff. draws influence from these lunatics...
Loading...
10.03.2010 - 09:29
Maxx666
Meshuggahian
Awesome album. Thoroughly enjoyable songs and simply face-melting solos
Loading...
11.02.2012 - 09:41
Rating: 9
Sentient 7

This album unfortunately passed me by when it was released, however I have since made up for lost time. I simply haven't been able to put it down (it has momentarily replaced Obscura on my daily playlist). I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer, the complexity and scope is what keeps me coming back. Also I enjoy the rather dry mix - the drum tone especially is about as organic as it gets. This album features many moments of pure tech death glory, never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Loading...

Hits total: 6497 | This month: 13