SPAWN OF POSSESSION — Noctambulant (review)

SPAWN OF POSSESSION — Noctambulant album cover Album · 2006 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Noctambulant" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Spawn of Possession. The album was released through Neurotic Records in May 2006. It´s the successor to "Cabinet" from 2003 and features one lineup change as Spawn of Possession have added lead vocalist Jonas Renvaktar to the lineup. Drummer Dennis Röndum, who performed lead vocals on "Cabinet (2003)" is credited for additional vocals on "Noctambulant", but in reality he performed most of the vocals on the album.

Stylistically the material on "Noctambulant" continue the brutal technical death metal style of "Cabinet (2003)". There have been some development of style and Spawn of Possession have added some new musical ideas (which include some jazz/fusion influenced parts), but "Noctambulant" still feels like a natural successor to "Cabinet (2003)". Fast-paced staccato delivered growling vocals, some of the most inventive and twisted guitar work on the scene (some of these tracks sound like little is repeated twice), and some powerful and intricate precision drumming. This is not easily accessible music, and even for the genre (which is usually were busy and technical) it´s a challenging and sometimes difficult listen, as the music features constantly changing tempos and time signatures. How these guys remember how to play the material is beyond me. That´s how complex the tracks are on "Noctambulant".

The speed and dexterity are at times jaw-droppingly virtuosic. Spawn of Possession are a strong playing unit and all involved are extremely skilled at playing their instruments. The growling vocals are pretty standard for the genre though, and I´ll go as far as to call them the weak link of the music. More distinct sounding and intelligible growling vocals could definitely have made that part of the music more interesting. "Noctambulant" features a well sounding production, which is well suited for the material. It´s not too meaty and bottom deep, but more clear and detailed than what is standard for the genre.

Upon conclusion "Noctambulant" is a high quality brutal technical death metal release, which manages to stand out as original on the scene. As mentioned it´s a difficult listen, and it is sometimes a minor issue that it´s such a challenging listen, that the listener at times becomes almost disorientated. A few more hooks and catchy vocal phrases and a little more variation between tracks would have been welcome. Spawn of Possession have chosen the path of uncompromise though and as a consequence "Noctambulant" is more a musicians album made for other musicians than an album for the more casual death metal fan. You can decide for yourself if that´s a good or a bad thing. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
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