After six long years, Spawn of Possession are back to toss their hat into the tech-death ring with their third full-length – Incurso. The band has gone through a lineup change since the last album, with drummer Dennis Rondum trading in his sticks for a microphone, and Obscura’s Christian Munzner taking over on guitars. Right away Munzner’s presence is pushed straight to the forefront, as his sweeps and guitar prowess is absolutely stunning throughout this whole album. Any fan of Obscura knows his name well, and with most tracks averaging about six minutes, there is a lot to take in here.
And that is where something with this album just didn’t seem to grab me. Don’t get me wrong the album is phenomenal, and the technical ability is second to none. I’m not sure if it’s the length of the album, or the whirlwind of activity, or the fact that you feel like after you’ve heard one track you’ve heard the whole album. The songs dart all over the place, and while not as disjointed as the new Beneath the Massacre, I just don’t see myself going back to this album much. The songs are incredibly dense, and nearly everything is thrown into each track. You get melodic slowdowns, frenetic arpeggio solos coming from all sides, and former Unmoored drummer Henrik Schonstrom keeping this bucking bronco tied together with his deft footwork and blistering fills and accents. As far as I can tell Erlend Caspersen keeps the bass portion skillfully wrapped up, but I honestly wouldn’t know good bass work if it walked up and punched me in the nuts. I’ve tried repeatedly, but have just never developed the ear or the ability to pick out good bass work with all that goes on in extreme metal. The aforementioned Rondum keeps a pretty straight forward death growl that doesn’t change much, but it’s obvious he’s not the main show here with all the talent surrounding him. They even mix in some organs and keyboards on album closer “Apparition” that shows a Fleshgod Apocalypse-style touch to their sound.
It’s also worth noting that the album art is also cool as hell, just as it was on Noctambulant. If you’re a tech-death fan this is a must listen album, and make sure to spin it a few times to let it all soak in. It’s nearly an hour, so set aside a good chunk of time. With the new Gorod album on the horizon, it’s turning out to be a heavyweight fight for tech-death album of the year.
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Cabinet had some great songs that were not just technically spectacular, they also had flow and discernible, memorable structures. (“Swarm of the Formless,” for instance).
on Mar 26th, 2012 at 10:11Noctambulant had less of that, which is why I’ve rarely been back since its release. This does not bode well for Incurso, but I’ll give it a dozen or so spins and see what sticks…
This record is NASTY. The cover art totally sums up what you’re going to hear. Once you start to peel away the layers, each song becomes a standout…there are actual verses and choruses going on throughout and dare I say “hooks”…but the two longest songs, “the Apparition” and “the Evangelist” are total brain-busters. When I first played this through, I felt like I did when I first listened to my Pierced from Within tape in 94.
on Mar 26th, 2012 at 12:13cd is decent- but now SOP /Necrophagist and Obscura are basically interchangeable now- theres no separation or character between the three with all the member swapping. Only the two songs abover with synths are different. cover is balls though.
on Mar 26th, 2012 at 15:04The cover is basically Leopold Stokowski conducting a Dune sandworm. Yeah, I don’t think that Incurso is as memorable as the past two albums (I liked Noctambulant!) but still some solid tech-death if you’re into that sort of thing.
on Mar 26th, 2012 at 16:57I’m an absolete sucker for some tech death. Noctambulant is brilliant, I can’t see why it would ever get bashed.
All the critism of Incurso is valid, the songs don’t vary much etc. But damn is it ever a tech death feast. If you want variety listen to Obscura – that is one category that these two bands really do differ in. This album is heavy, complex, technical and saturated with ideas. Brilliant.
on Mar 27th, 2012 at 04:08Yeah the three bands are virtually interchangeable (SOP, Obscura, Necrophagist). But I’m into the subtle differences…Necrophagist is the catchiest and most brutal, SOP is the most evil and sinister, and Obscura gives the listener the biggest overall soundscape. I can appreciate it all. If tech-death has become stale, it’s not because Muenzer’s played on Epitaph, Incurso and Omnivium, really. Speaking of Necrophagist, what’s happened with that guy? I’d like to think he’s biding his time before unleashing a monster of a record…
on Apr 4th, 2012 at 07:26i’ve tried listening to this 5 times now and my attention goes out the window every time. maybe I need to focus more but I’m having trouble finding the songs. Obscura is miles ahead of these guys in that department.
on Apr 4th, 2012 at 10:47Obscura doesn’t have riffs either. But the three bands are VERY different. Necro has far more traditional song structures, Obscura is all scales and no riffs, and SOP is completely insane structure wise but if you listen you can pinpoint legitimate parts. Necro is probably the best at getting their songs to have individual character, although this isn’t saying much given the other two bands and they too fall into the rut of sameness throughout the course of a full album.
on Apr 4th, 2012 at 23:30Obscura sucks. SUCKS. It’s like Yngwie tried to shit out what he thinks death metal should sound like.