Possession - Exorkizein

By Kevin Page. I've had the good fortune of being along for the journey with this Belgian black/death band since Iron Bonehead released their demo, His Best Deceit, in 2013. Now after 2 additional EPs (Anneliese from 2014 and 1585-1646 from 2015) we finally have their debut album

By Kevin Page.

Artwork By C. Moyen (Thorncross).

I've had the good fortune of being along for the journey with this Belgian black/death band since Iron Bonehead released their demo, His Best Deceit, in 2013. Now after 2 additional EPs (Anneliese from 2014 and 1585-1646 from 2015) we finally have their debut album and boy is it something to behold.

If you are new to the band, nothing immediately screams out originality from their brand of musical brutality. There's just something about it though, almost indescribable, that makes it stand out from the crowd. Perhaps it's their ability to masterfully straddle the line between black metal and death metal while appealing to fans of both genres simultaneously. Vocally this is much closer to black metal with a vomited "rasp". Musically it's heavy with lots of low end fuzz that you want in your death metal, while still maintaining that otherworldly evil bestial quality of black metal. If I had to draw a comparison, envision Marduk's Those of the Unlight as a death metal album. Still evil as all hell but with thick guitars and vicious riffs.

All of this madness was still accomplished with some tweaks to the lineup; gone is original vocalist Mestema, replaced by bassist Viriakh, while they welcomed in Iblis as the new bassist. This was a seamless transition and the band hasn't slowed down for a moment.

While it's near impossible for a band to stand out from the pack these days with this style (absent some crazy gimmick), Possession are able to be at the head of their field simply with top notch songwriting and a blistering energy to match. Highly recommended. Essential. Buy it now. Insert whatever hyperbole you choose.

EP madness

By Kevin Page. Belgian black/death outfit, Possession, stormed out of the hellfire gates last year with their His Best Deceit demo. While not anything overly original, it was well done and convincing enough for me to put them on my radar for future releases.

By Kevin Page.

Cover art by Thorncross.

Belgian black/death outfit, Possession, stormed out of the hellfire gates last year with their His Best Deceit demo. While not anything overly original, it was well done and convincing enough for me to put them on my radar for future releases. Well, they haven't wasted any time and are back with a new 2 song EP, titled Anneliese. Without giving up an ounce of their furious nature, they demonstrate how restraint can make your music even more potent. They've mixed it up with slower tempos and catchier material while the reverberating demonic vocals are even more bombastic. I'm a huge stickler for the drum sound on most releases, and the very "live" feel and just that "slap" of the drum here really tickles my fancy. Very impressive.

England's Binah released their debut album, Hallucinating in Resurrecture, in 2012. While I appreciated the style (old school death metal with the Entombed guitar tone) it wasn't something that ever stuck with me or made me want to break out for repeated listens. I enjoyed it, I just wasn't ga-ga. Which brings us to the new 12 minute EP, A Triad of Plagues. Definitely a step up from their past material. Far more memorable and a band that sounds much more comfortable with their style. They retained the same sound you heard on the debut, but refined it and made it just a wee hair less suffocating. Good to see a band 'up their game'.

Furious Scandinavian-esque black metal from Greece. Septuagint reminds me of mid era Marduk. Lots of frantic blasting but with more tempo breaks than you would expect. This is where the band really makes their mark and separates themselves from just being another ferocious black metal blitzkrieg. And when they slow down you can hear the atmospheric guitar tone that almost has a post black metal feel to it. Don't be alarmed though as the material is neither of those two previously mentioned styles. If it makes you feel any better, there's a bassist in the band, but in typical black metal fashion, you can't even tell.

Artwork by Profanum.

Metal Archives lists this as a demo. The band call it a promo. Bandcamp calls it an album. I'm going with EP as that suits this post. Raw, filthy, vicious, and bestial death metal from New Zealand. This sits somewhere between Heresiarch/Diocletian and Impetuous Ritual/Grave Upheaval. The production sounds like it was recorded in your garage in the early 90's, but that only adds to it charm. If you've never heard of any of the bands I just mentioned, I'd proceed with caution before listening. If those bands tickle your fancy, then Vesicant is another band to add to your 'must listen' list.