Sparagmos

In terms of the quality of the death metal that they are playing, Spectral Voice is one of the most special bands of Dark Descent Records. I consider myself lucky as I have found to chance to see them alive in Turkey back in December 2019, and now, they are here with their new record. Sharing its band members with the bands such as Blood Incantation and Black Curse, Spectral Voice got my attention back in 2017 with their debut album "Eroded Corridors of Unbeing", which can be defined as the "pure cosmic horror metal". To that day, I have listened to some bands that can also be defined with the same definition, but Spectral Voice had their own way to tell their cosmic horror story, creating an original piece of art. Nothing different could be expected from the members of Blood Incantation, as they were prominent during those days with their debut full-length record "Starspawn". After releasing some splits with various equally good bands until February 2024, with "Sparagmos", Spectral Voice has reached new heights in terms of having an extraordinary songwriting, arrangements, and sound.

Taking its name from Sparagmos, a Dionysian rite that consists of dismembering o a living animal or a living human being, then eating them raw, this record involves four tracks written in a holistic approach that handle this topic both from the perspective of the assailant people and the victim. The lyrics demonstrate the savagery and the morbid feelings that this kind of rite might convey dramatically. In terms of the delivery of those lyrics, Eli Wendler adopted a unique approach compared to the debut record (which conveyed mostly generic low death growls), utilizing shrieks, screams, growls, and even some clean shouts that can be considered very natural. Those natural shouts are mostly from the mouth of the victim, depicting the pain and suffering that poor human had been through during the rite. I can say that, the vocal sound has been converged to that of Black Curse's debut "Endless Wound", where Wendler also was responsible for the vocals.

Vocals are not the only thing that has been influenced from Black Curse, the music also exhibits the same influence. Thinking of the riffing style and the atmosphere that has been created with the sound, it can be said that the album's sound is a synthesis of the sounds of Eroded Corridors of Unbeing and Endless Wound. Those fearful soundscapes, suspense effects, and everchanging tempo that can be encountered in the debut album can be also found in Sparagmos. I can say that the arrangements of those sound effects are done accurately. Speaking of tempo, the slower parts are more prominent in this album than the debut, and this slower parts meticulously weave the atmosphere like a spider's web. Wendler leading those parts with his drum parts, especially feeding that suspenseful atmosphere with his burst attacks using the tom drums, Riedl and Kolontyrsky contribute to this fire with their gloomy arpeggios and siren-like guitar melodies, and Barrett volumize this atmosphere in the low-end department. These slower parts prepare the listeners to the "thing" that they will face slowly, especially during the intros and outros, and that "thing", the faster parts lands some serious crushing blows right into the face of the people who expose their ears to this beauty. Particularly, the connection between the outro of "Be Cadaver" and the intro of "Red Feasts Condensed into One" explains this situation perfectly, and there are plenty of these sequences in this record. The faster parts deliver the savagery that I talked about during the previous paragraph at the highest level. Different from the debut, which conveyed a riff-based approach; there is an atmospheric approach adopted during the writing process of the riffs, which is similar to the Black Curse album. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that there are no "crushing" riffs in Sparagmos, there are a lot of them. Like the slower sections, the drum and bass work are also very proficient, bring all the violence and bloodshed to the ears of the listeners.

Speaking of low-end, the vocal mix and the low-end EQ of the debut album was not good since the vocals and low frequencies were hoarse in the mix, Arthur Rizk has solved these problems in the mix of Sparagmos. I can definitely say that Rizk's production work in this record is top-notch. The atmosphere ensnares you, all the frequencies can be heard balanced, and even though there is a clean work, there is this "filthy sound" that we are looking for when we are listening to a chaotic death metal album. Manifester is responsible again in that department like they were in the debut. This artwork depicts skulls and some other parts of the victims that were sacrificed for the rites, and is pretty decent. Thanks to Rizk and Manifester for making this beautiful record even more beautiful.

In conclusion, it can be said that Sparagmos has already guaranteed its place in the "album of the year" lists of 2024, with its gloomy and suspenseful atmosphere, unrelenting delivery of savagery, and proficient instrumental and vocal performances. Definitely not an easy listen, but when you really got it, Spectral Voice would take your heavy metal listening journey to a next level: they offer an overwhelming 45-minutes of experience that tears you apart, then consumes you raw. Do not miss it.

While we waiting for the new Blood Incantation (let's ignore "Luminescent Bridge" for a moment), the second full-length album by Spectral Voice was released. But have the expectations and appetite for the death/doom side of these guys from Denver been growing at an intense pace since the release of their 2017 debut? Oh, well, a lot! "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing" was and still is a great album and the next one hype was aroused by the premiere songs on the splits with Anhedonist and Undergang, which are surprisingly missing on "Sparagmos". The second Spectral Voice longplay includes four completely new long songs, consisting of 45 minutes of material, which certainly do not disappoint considering seven years from releasing previous album, they follow quite logically from the themes from "Eroded..." and will appeal to everyone who like gloomy death/doom metal.

As you can easily guess, "Sparagmos" doesn't get you down to the ground, although it maintains a satisfactory, very good level and will satisfy all those who were simply waiting for a new full-length from Spectral Voice. There is no wow effect, but it's no wonder. When you record a complete album in the "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing" format, it's difficult to cross this level. And this is also the case with "Sparagmos". The second album of this quartet is a piece of excellent and high-quality death/doom, full of heaviness, gloom, a sense of nothingness and a haunted atmosphere; what's more, it's well-produced - with full naturalness and fidelity to the extreme music.

The problem, however, is that these topics have already become a bit obsolete (mainly due to the significant increase in competition in this style of death metal), and "Sparagmos" itself is not as dynamic and characterful material as the debut. For example, there is a greater emphasis on doomy part, the band more often crushes with single, prolonged sounds and the tension builds at a much slower pace than on the previous album. It's a bit of a pity, because it's a bit annoying that the album doesn't have such wild phrases or developed atmospheres as on the "Eroded...". The advantage is that this time the musicians have let go of noise disturbances as much as before, although due to the rather very slow pace of the album, the diversity and the mentioned dynamics are lost somewhere. While I have no reservations about "Be Cadaver" and "Sinew Censer", because they are brilliant and perfectly tribute to Disembowelment (especially the bleak atmosphere and the way it unfolds), the other two songs could be a bit shorter and have some cuts. "Death's Knell Rings In Eternity" could easily do without the noisy vocal effects that drown out the clarity of the instruments, while "Red Feasts Condensed Into One" could start faster. From an overall perspective, it's clear that "Sparagmos" contains only minor disadvantages.

Despite this, the second longplay by Spectral Voice will certainly be one of the most important and sought-after death/doom titles in 2024. Weird? I don't think so. "Sparagmos", regardless of the huge expectations after the debut and the subsequent passage of time, delivers a lot of quality, atmospheric death/doom metal full of sincere emotions. Perhaps a bit too montonous at times, but it's well-made and encourages further listening.

Originally on A bit of subjectivism...in metal

Denver's Spectral Voice has finally delivered their long-awaited second album. In 2017, they unleashed 'Eroded Corridors of Unbeing', a terrific composition that reached cult status and whose influence still echoes in the caverns of contemporary death/doom (for a very recent and obvious example, see Atavistic Decay; perhaps add to that Black Wound's 'Warping Structure' as well.). This was followed by the compilation album 'Necrotic Demos' in 2020, which brought together a number of demos and singles the band put out before and after the debut full-length, some of which were in splits with the likes of Blood Incantation, Anhedonist, Undergang, Phrenelith, etc. While the compilation was a precious entry into their catalogue, it did little to quench the thirst for the blood of a new full-length.

Finally, 2024 brought us 'Sparagmos' – a glorious and sinister creation worthy of its predecessors. While taking a more 'blackened' and even 'ambient' road – a shift which the band members have been talking about as far back as 2018 – the music remains true to its established style. The four lengthy tracks present a dense and distinct sound that emanates a dreadful and doomy atmosphere. The most notable new addition is the ritualistic elements. Bells, whistles, and distant chants are incorporated throughout, pointing to the Dionysian frame the title suggests.

And if something makes this album fall short of perfection for me, it's that there aren't as many of these eerie rite elements as I would like. The absolute best example of this motif is in the longest track, 'Red Feasts Condensed into One', which all but stops at around the five-minute mark for almost a minute of dark ceremonial sounds suggesting the most evil yet calmly carried-out sacraments.

The lyrics, however, do more than make up for this 'sparagmatic' scarcity, as Eli Wendler is in top form in all three hypostases – lyricist, drummer, and most of all, vocalist. Unlike the previous full-length, here his vocals are more present and diverse, screaming, grunting, and choking on an array of necromantic poesy. The rest of the band does an equally extraordinary job in all departments (the clean guitar parts are as ominous and lurking as ever!), which is complimented quite well by the mixing. It should be noted that I am writing this on the day of its release, after only a few full listens, so many of the nuances of the music are yet to emerge.

Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay to this album is that it manages to retain the spectacular achievements of the previous while also taking the music further, yet it in no way serves as its substitute; i.e., what I get out of listening to 'Sparagmos' is vastly different from what I get out of 'Corridors'. Both, however, are crowing achievements of contemporary death metal, and we can only hope for many more to come.

In conclusion:

Hail Death!
Hail Decay!
Hail Chaos!
Hail Denver!

Spectral Voice, the doom death band from Denver, Colorado, has now released their second album "Spragmos" via Dark Descent Records. Three quarters of the band's line-up also play in the much better-known Blood Incantation, who musically serve the opposite spectrum of death metal to Spectral Voice.The underground attitude is also clear from the fact that Spectral Voice doesn't yet have an official facebook presence, and other websites are also mercilessly out of date. So the music should speak for itself here, and the album booklet only shows vague outlines of the musicians, if at all. Very beneficial in the age of internet narcissism!

"Sparagmos" also pays homage to the darkest and most sinister doom and death. Spectral Voice is above all music that is less able to convince through concrete riffs or structures, but rather the eerie and oppressive atmosphere that is conveyed here in four overlong songs between 8 and 13 minutes. This music is claustrophobia set to music, imagine someone is wandering through an endless labyrinth with oppressively narrow walls that are getting closer and closer together, there is no way out in sight, while the protagonist still has the last memories of a life full of torment. When the simple but all the more effective doom riffs fade out, a lonely, depressed melody sounds, which increases the sadness, before another high-speed attack begins, accompanied by barbaric, inhumane, deep death grunts. Regular song structures are almost always present, so that despite all the attention to noise, even the usual death metal listener shouldn't be overstrained - sometimes there are even gripping, groovy, rhythmic death metal parts that especially could cause concern in the audience during live gigs.

The legendary Australians from Disembowelment are the first musical godfathers that come to mind, especially when it comes to the switch from ultra-slow, abrasive parts to hyperspeed attacks. But followers of the Finns from Krypts or the legendary Rippikolu with their "Musta Seremonia" release can also serve as a reference, whereby the latter in particular were a whole lot more conventional in terms of song structures. The two unfortunately no longer existing Sonne Adam from Israel and the German Necros Christos are also a good indication, at least with regard to the atmosphere created here.

So if you want to hear madness set to music, audible despair, then Spectral Voice's latest work is perfect for you.The artistic ambition of this inspiring, unusual and truly dark work is once again underlined by the great, atmospheric cover artwork. Fans of dark sounds and doom death fanatics must grab this work.

originally written for https://systematicdesensitizationzine.blogspot.com

Eroded Corridors of Unbeing reasonably achieved massive impact back in 2017, at a time when the masterminds behind Spectral Voice and Blood Incantation had already built some quite considerable momentum with the latter’s debut album Starspawn, just a year earlier. While the approaches were different, what was clearly obvious was the absurd amount of creativity pouring out of the minds of these musicians, who were repeatedly crafting highly compelling, perplexed and engaging music in the realms of death and doom metal. A streak continued with Blood Incantation, who followed with an arguably even more efficacious record, but things turned quiet for blood brother Spectral Voice, who didn’t grace us with a lot of new material except from a handful of (pretty damn decent) split releases.

Seven years later, Spectral Voice’s sophomore album Sparagmos could not have been anticipated more by the fans, who were aching for the next step from this extraordinary project. The first samples of a new release, either visual or aural, were awfully positive and hinted the impending arrival of a tremendous work, at least standing up to the standards set by the band’s spearheading debut. Thankfully, the flock was not mislead and the wait was worth it, as Sparagmos has the potential to place itself among the unblemished best examples of how doom and death metal can be melded together for the production of pressuring, spacious soundscapes that challenge the perception and the third eye of the listener.

Sparagmos has a similar structure to the band’s first album, but it is more focused and refined. With four long compositions and a total of 45 minutes in duration, Spectral Voice expands its own sound and unravels a chest-crushing atmosphere through multi-layered sections of marvelous riffing at all speeds possible, knitted together carefully to produce immaculate flow and note-perfect music. Manipulation of ambiance is also employed at times but does not overstay its welcome, as Sparagmos is principally a forward thinking doom/death metal album with a clear focus on oppressive heaviness, guarantying to present ideas that you have not heard before executed in this manner.

As a natural grower, a lot of the merit of Sparagmos reveals itself the more the listener indulges in it. It is intended for the part of the audience that is serious-minded and often finds appeal in occult death metal acts (think of Sonne Adam or Necros Christos) rather than the regular straight up gorefest. While faster than traditional funeral doom metal, Spectral Voice’s intimidating presence is reminiscent of behemoths such as Evoken and Skepticism, especially in the snail-paced sections such as the first minutes of “Be Cadaver”, parts of “Sinew Censer” or the ending of “Death’s Knell Eternity”. When Sparagmos accelerates, e.g. in some moments of “Red Feasts Condensed Into One”, the intensity rises to extremes and reflects the spirit of wicked death metal bands such as Sadistic Intent, which is one of the cleanest certifications of excellence in this genre. At the middle of the same track lies a distorted flute-like sound that almost makes it look as if Imperial Triumphant jumped in the studio for a second. Never thought of finding these two references in the same piece, am I right?

Apart from the stellar instrumentation, which will have you delete all other doom/death metal you have been listening to and question the quality of your taste all these years, an absolute highlight in Sparagmos is the vocal work. Impeccable growls, soaring shrieks and painful shouting in various instances, these vocals are a the closest real manifestation of the meaning of the album’s title. Connected to sacrificial dismemberment and omophagia in Ancient Greece, the word also refers to maniacal screaming as an expression of deep sadness and psychological distress when used in a modern context. That exactly, is the palette of emotions you’re going to go through, after you have been pummeled by this top-notch album.

At time goes by, some bands get a pass of reassurance after a series of high quality releases, and you can not conceive that they would disappoint you anymore. Such is the case for Spectral Voice and their contemplative, incredible second album, which is a truly thrilling and memorable experience to go through. As with all kinds of monumental art, it leaves its mark with a sense of awe that will stay in you for more than just its mere total runtime. Dissonance and ingenuity reach new heights with Sparagmos, and one would dare to place it even higher than Eroded Corridors of Unbeing. That speaks volumes of what has been accomplished here.

Originally written for SputnikMusic:
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/88167/Spectral-Voice-Sparagmos/

After approximately five years death doom titans Spectral Voice finally released their sophomore album. Following the success of a monstrous album like “Eroded Corridors of Being” is no easy task, but luckily Spectral Voice has made a great follow-up with “Sparagmos”. A very dark, filthy, and overall heavy as fuck album that’ll please any death-doom maniac.

This album is drenched in a very dark and sludgy atmosphere. Especially in the slower and more doomy passages that are ungodly heavy. There’s a lot of ambiance going on in the background as well which gives off a very ominous vibe. “Be Cadaver” opens up this album amazingly, you instantly know it’s Spectral Voice. It starts off very slow and atmospheric with these guitar sections in the beginning. Before slowly adding in the doom-laden drums and chords that’ll pound your skull in for the first portion of this song. But when you reach the latter half of the song only then does it pick up in pace, pounding your skull in with old-school death metal. The strangled screams and growls give off a very disturbing feeling that the debut album didn’t necessarily have. That can be said for the album in its entirety, it’s a completely different feeling and is more disturbing.

The production is filthy here. The guitars are extremely fuzz and very hard-hitting. The same goes for the bass work, which is sludgy and very heavy. The vocals are drenched in this grim reverb that is ungodly cavernous and potent. Eli Wendler does a great job of balancing the gutturals with the more powerful higher screams. With this band featuring most members from Blood Incantation, there are a lot of crossover influences and sounds. Mostly in the death metal aspects more than the doom passages. The only member that’s not in Blood Incantation is the vocalist/drummer Eli.

His drum work is amazing too. He does an excellent job throwing in these unforgiving blast beats and double bass rhythms. The kick drums sound chunky as well. While also throwing in some nice dissonant fills and cymbal work to amp up the atmosphere and song transitions. Specifically the transition from “Be Cadaver” to “Red Feasts Condensed into One” shows off the fills and cymbal work well.

With there being only 4 songs here each song is long. The only song that doesn’t bridge the 10-minute mark or more is “Sinew Censar” which is almost 8 minutes long. But the songwriting and music make it so that each song is memorable and well-written. Each song is drenched in death metal goodness and grooves, containing hooky riffs alongside the pummeling drum beats. The riffs dominate this album with its deranged tremolos and chunky rhythms, and the bass work is just as heavy as it is groovy. The music as I’ve stated balances out the doom and death metal really well. They shift and transition perfectly and don’t sound awkward or rushed.

The band has refined their sound here. Offering a much more dense and dark listen, that is drowned in puss and decay. While continuing to write heavy songs with memorable moments and standout qualities. Even the doomy sections are memorable which is something I have mixed feelings about when it comes to this style of death metal. But Spectral Voice makes it work, when it’s doomy it’s fucking doomy. It’s a complete whirlwind of slow, mid-paced, and fast tempos that are unapologetically heavy. Needing your full attention for the madness and abrasive nature of this album to truly sink in.

Overall this album is amazing. It has everything a Disembowelment and a Rippikoulu fan would want in a death doom album. This also has everything a death metal fan would want in general, while also throwing in some extremely well-written doom sections. If you somehow haven’t heard this band check them out. And this new album. Incredible work.

Several years have passed since Spectral Voice gave us one of the best modern death metal records for many, many years. Below we talk about “Sparagmos”, the highly anticipated follow-up to “Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing”, which is set for release via Dark Descent Records on February 9th.

Reverberate guitars begin with an otherworldly ambience, starting off as ominously as one could expect. Booming drums lurk into existence with charnel riffing opening a chasm of doomed soundscapes. Those who enjoyed the recent split with Undergang will be overjoyed to hear this continuation into bleak depravity is continued. The way in which the mangled vocals sit in the unsettling cacophony of instruments is disconcerting to say the least. While the death and doom metal that Spectral Voice have always seamlessly combined remain ever-present, there is a cinematically disturbing feel to this new opus that entangles the spirit in desolate hopelessness from the first few moments. Moving with a fluid and yet purposeful arrangement, the building sense of dread is palpable and yet does not let the sense of a song still being a song fall to the wayside. Of course there is a savage and yet funereal feeling to this resplendently morbid atmosphere which while expansive, does not feel pretentious, still retaining that feral hunger for true extremity.

In each unforgiving second, the churning maelstrom of intensive guitars, bass, drums and vocals blend into a singularity of abyssal decay. Utilising their atmospheric strength while keeping memorability intact, Spectral Voice takes things one step further than ever before. Their debut work is inarguably one of the most important death metal records of the 2000s onwards, and here on “Sparagmos” there is a sense of its value being upheld and yet built upon and reincarnated rather than rehashed. Each gorgeously effect-laden passage of guitars feels purposeful and sumptuous while the drums and cymbals break like fallen monoliths. Instrumentally, their sound is massive with the vocals not toppling this mountain of sonic excellence. Indeed, the voices are sparing but only accentuate the incantations of that dragging, unearthly monstrosity that Spectral Voice has unearthed.

Refining their sound without taming it, it is impressive that a band who are so renowned for building unique worlds of cryptic ambience can so unpredictably visceral and intense with animalistic burst of rage coming from nowhere yet being musically cohesive. Each of these lengthy tracks features plenty of sonic and emotional diversity while making total sense, only pulling you further into the depths of whatever macabre world these sounds emanate from. Similarly the vocals are more evocative than ever with these powerful howls adding a bombastic sense of anguish to the otherwise menacing growls of the album. While repetition can be a useful tool, this particular band seem to use progression to achieve equally hypnotising effects while keeping those gloomy moments coming back to further enhance the bewitchment. Truly a magical creation within the world of death metal that has all of the antiquities of the old school while offering something valuably renewed, rekindled and ultimately fascinating to listen to. Breaking boundaries without betraying one’s roots is a hard balance to maintain in this extreme musical world but if any band can be relied upon to do so wonderfully, it is Spectral Voice.

Of course the second album of a band whose debut is considered legendary such as Spectral Voice is always a frightening moment for fans, especially when it is one that has been so eagerly awaited for several years. The same could be said about the recent sophomore album from Cruciamentum. The common ground is that Spectral Voice has also returned with a truly magnificent album that lives up to its predecessor and builds upon it without losing the grotesque characteristics that made the first so widely beloved. The expansion of the atmospheric side is noticeable, but the rancidity of its death metal core has never been lost along the way. “Sparagmos” is simply another beast of its own nature that belongs in this bands unfaltering discography as worthily as every other entry.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com