Reverb, nasty, dark, fun!
This is some noisy shit. Vocal reverb that summons the likes of legends like Hellhammer, and Von. Voices that growl, screech, and “UUGHHH.” Drums are pounding, and often fast. The riffs are dirty, distorted, but quite catchy. Think bands like Desaster or Impaled Nazarene. There are lots of trills, squeals and slides. The solos are total chaos, in the best possible way. Think if Slayer were even more all over the place. If I were to categorize this band, it would fall somewhere under black thrash.
“Of the Sign…” is Spirit Possession’s second full length album, and this time they are teaming up with Profound Lore Records for this release scheduled to come out on March 31, 2023.
But Do They Slow Down?
Indeed they do. They slow down on the 5th track, “The Hex.” This 2 minute track is a spacey instrumental that feels like a call to the Beherit masterpiece “Drawing Down The Moon.” It’s a hissing, dungeon track that sets the rest of the album down an even darker path.
Who Are Spirit Possession?
From Portland, Oregon, Spirit Possession are have just 2 members: S. Peacock (Ulthar, Pandiscordian Necrogenesis, Mastery) on strings and vocals, and A. Spungin (Vouna, Ormus, Taurus) on drums and handmade synthesizers. That’s about all I can find on the musicians. The album was recorded at SP Dungeon, and Mixed by Colin Martson (Gorguts, Imperial Triumphant) at Menegroth, with cover art by Brazilian artist Luciana Lupe Vasconcelos.
Verdict
I was hooked from the very first riffs on the first song, appropriately titled “Orthodox Weapons.” The album is 42 minutes long, but feels like it goes by so fast. I find their whole sound interesting, with the insane amount of reverb, and tempo changes. While I do get a lot of Hellhammer and Beherit influences on this album, it does not feel like it’s trying to copy them. It feels fresh. The artwork really fits the music. I am wondering if this band tours. It would be interesting. I can envision lots of red lights, strobes, fog, and high volume. Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing what others think of this release. I give it a solid 4/5. Listen to their first single in the video below. Preorder the album.
For more reviews check out these top metal albums of 2022 by Eric, Jesse, Brian, and Overlord.
