Blood Spell

Being the relic that I am, I tend to be at most local extreme metal shows, and I have been both fortunate and unfortunate to see a lot of up and coming bands. Like any metal scene in any prospective city, there are going to be those bands that will become local favorites and draw a large following, mostly due to their approachable songwriting. Sadistic Embodiment falls into that category of band. I don't think it's a bad thing in any light; in fact, the music is enjoyable on many levels. Bryan Newbury and Co. will be the go-to band for the younger generation of fans that dig mid-2000's style Vader and Necronomicon.

Musically it's not forging new territory that people into extreme metal haven't heard before. In that respect, though, what they do, they do with conviction, and they execute it with precision. Sadistic Embodiment are genuine disciples of this style of death. You won't find any wide tempo shifts, the songs tend to sit in the mid-pace to quick time feel, but it works well, as you couldn't find a tackle box with more hooks. The huge riffs and Newbury's driving double kick and blast beats provide the LP's rock hard spine. Relative FNG, Wally Fischer, covers the whole album with plenty of early Arch Enemy-esque harmonies and melodic leads. Vocals are deep and guttural, but they are clear and provide a nasty film to the aura of the songs.

Immense praise to Justin Bender for getting them a big label sound, as the whole thing is massive. Heavy, thick, and very slick is the name of the game here, but it's not sterile like so many productions these days. As with every recording, you can't do much with shitty performances, and that is the last thing these cats turned in; all the execution here is razor-sharp and watertight. This record might not be everyone's cup of "insert preferred hot beverage here", and there are some head-scratcher moments, but for what they were trying to achieve: they did! They have signed to Civilian Death Network for this one, and I feel they are at home with the bands that CDN pushes. Hopefully, they can use the momentum to bring the metal to the masses.

Personal favorites 'Nebulae (Call of the Void)', 'Global Enema', and 'Flesh Deposition'