Year: 2020
Total Time: 34:53
Label: Profound Lore Records
It’s January 2020 and the foundations of the extreme underground are shaken by the barbaric sound of the Americans SPIRIT POSSESSION’s demo. The only two compositions (along with an intro and an outro) and its eerie atmosphere, have created a chaotic Black / Thrash Metal orgasm. Which orgasm sounded as fresh and refreshing (for this genre) as the “Black Thrash Attack” of AURA NOIR sounded back in 1996. Profound Lore Records was fascinated by demo2020 (like all of us) and signed them up. As a result, a few months later, in July 2020, the duo of A. and S. (also involved in Death / Black Metallers ULTHAR) from Oregon, USA offers us its self-titled debut.
From the opening song “Deity of Knives and Pointed Apparitions”, the listener immediately realizes that a savage Black/Thrash Metal album is following. An album that will not let anyone breathe for a moment. The sick incest of Norwegian Black Metal with Thrash and avant garde elements, gave birth to a dark psychedelic sound which, in combination with S.’s paranoid vocals, creates a controlled chaotic situation! Black Metal genre in general may focus on the atmosphere, but there are times when you just want to hear riffs that tear your soul apart. So, this is generously offered to us by SPIRIT POSSESSION, who has found the perfect balance between atmosphere and guitar riffs. In combination with the raw production, the band pounds us relentlessly for about half an hour, with their stormy rhythms.
The self-titled debut of SPIRIT POSSESSION is raw, dirty, rough, deformed and refreshing. The band sweeps everything in its path, filtering its influences through its personal avant garde perception and presents us with a Black Metal album that sounds fresh and unique. The only negative fact I found on this record is its short duration. Its raging sound caught me so much, that I wanted something more than 35 minutes! SPIRIT POSSESSION prove that they have the potential to become one of the best and most special bands of American Black Metal. Just listen to their debut and you will adore them, as Jeff Becerra from POSSESSED already did!
Rating: 7.5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: SPIRIT POSSESSION – Bandcamp Page
