“Starspawn” marks the debut full-length
release from American death metal band Blood Incantation, with the legendary
Dark Descent Records being the label fortunate enough to put forth this
monstrous release. Fans of Blood Incantation’s labelmates Phobocosm will dig
this album, as it is similar (but certainly not identical) in style. This
bands alternates between futuristic, atmosphere-drenched sections, and more
standard dissonant death metal. Bands like Immolation and Incantation are
certainly a prime influence for the latter sound, and listeners of more modern groups such as Zealotry,
Nucleus, and the like will be enthralled with Blood Incantation’s take on this
style.
This album is a concise offering, as it
barely cracks the 30-minute mark (and 4 of those minutes are an interlude), but
this approach is both welcomed and effective. Put simply, you’re not going to
get bored at any point on this record because Blood Incantation always has
something new to offer. They don’t spend too long with one groove or riff
before moving onto the next. The band also doesn’t restrict themselves to one
sound either, as they’re able to throw some doom metal into their wide array of
death metal riffs. “Vitrification of Blood (Part 1)” clocks in at 13 minutes,
and contains just about everything the band has to offer. It isn’t necessarily
as straight forward as some of the other songs, but it is a good summary of the
record (especially considering it makes up over one-third of the album!).
Blood Incantation doesn’t really do
anything wrong on “Starspawn”. The production is near perfect (though it would
be nice to hear the guitars a bit more), and the songwriting is on point. There
is more than enough diversity to satisfy most listeners, but the band never
compromises their sound. The sole interlude, “Meticulous Soul Devourment”, does
not add much, but it isn’t a distraction either. Even though this style of
death metal is becoming oversaturated, it is still far superior to most other
death metal being made right now. Blood Incantation deserves a spot amongst the
better bands in this group, and it will be interesting to hear how they follow
up this monolithic record!
Highlights
"Vitrification of Blood (Part 1)"
"Starspawn"
Final Rating
4.3/5 or 86%.
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