Blood Incantation – Starspawn
There’s been a massive buzz in the metal underground around the release of the first full length from Blood Incantation. With their EP "Interdimensional Extinction" and various demo’s and splits doing the rounds as well as the bands reputation as a live act. The release of teaser tracks and the artwork etc ages before the actual release it seemed like forever before the album was to come out. My news feed has been filled with people posting photos of the CD which had arrived in the post. There’s some serious hype going on for this album and it’s for a very good reason because "Starspawn" is a modern death metal masterpiece.
Kicking off the epic 13 minute 'Vitrification Of Blood (Part 1)' this track really shows wraps everything the band has to offer in one awesome track. The band play death metal in the old school way but with the darkness and murkiness of Incantation (yeah I know!) or Dimilich and they go off on a tangent in to the weird and spacey and cosmic. There are elements of Morbid Angel at their most experimental or Gorguts with the crazy chord sequences and time changes. There are hints of Death in the sound also but I think Death and Blood Incantation share a mutual admiration for Watchtower rather than Death being a direct influence. Hell, there is even sections of certain songs that remind me of Iron Maiden when they go off on a jam section in the middle of a song! Considering the album has a mere 5 tracks and is 35 minutes long they cover a lot of ground!
All these different sounds are incorporated but it never once feels messy or chaotic. At their most progressive they never branch into the unnecessary or self indulgent, while the band actually have some beautiful solos and melodic sections it never waters down the atmosphere or brutality of the music. Above all, with all the bands you will be reminded of, you never once think they are ripping anyone off. The band have carved out their own take on the death metal genre and delivered an album that will take the genre to the next level. Hell, if this had Mastodon on the front cover the mainstream rock press would be all over this.
This is an essential album. Not only is this a strong contender for album of the year it will definitely go down as a classic in years to come.
Kicking off the epic 13 minute 'Vitrification Of Blood (Part 1)' this track really shows wraps everything the band has to offer in one awesome track. The band play death metal in the old school way but with the darkness and murkiness of Incantation (yeah I know!) or Dimilich and they go off on a tangent in to the weird and spacey and cosmic. There are elements of Morbid Angel at their most experimental or Gorguts with the crazy chord sequences and time changes. There are hints of Death in the sound also but I think Death and Blood Incantation share a mutual admiration for Watchtower rather than Death being a direct influence. Hell, there is even sections of certain songs that remind me of Iron Maiden when they go off on a jam section in the middle of a song! Considering the album has a mere 5 tracks and is 35 minutes long they cover a lot of ground!
All these different sounds are incorporated but it never once feels messy or chaotic. At their most progressive they never branch into the unnecessary or self indulgent, while the band actually have some beautiful solos and melodic sections it never waters down the atmosphere or brutality of the music. Above all, with all the bands you will be reminded of, you never once think they are ripping anyone off. The band have carved out their own take on the death metal genre and delivered an album that will take the genre to the next level. Hell, if this had Mastodon on the front cover the mainstream rock press would be all over this.
This is an essential album. Not only is this a strong contender for album of the year it will definitely go down as a classic in years to come.
- Vitrification Of Blood (Part 1)
- Chaoplasm
- Hidden Species (Vitrification Of Blood Part 2)
- Meticulous Soul Devourment
- Starspawn
