Sparagmos is the Dionysian rite of tearing something asunder, be it animal or sometimes human, followed up by the consumption of the flesh. It’s fitting that Spectral Voice, the thicker, meaner counterpart to Blood Incantation, return after seven years with their sophomore full-length designed to tear you apart and leave you a mangled corpse. Sparagmos shows Paul Riedl and crew making death metal abominations once again, after Blood Incantation seemingly abandoned their roots to make ambient music. So, having only ever released Eroded Corridors of Unbeing and a myriad of splits since, where does this new LP stand? Dripping with ritualism and a funereal atmosphere, this album opens in a deceptively light way, giving the listener a brief moment to prepare themselves for the chaos that ensues. The music on Sparagmos ebbs and flows between gentle, somber passages and furious death metal riffage, and this variation prevents the songs from feeling overlong at any point. Most of these tracks breach the ten-plus minute mark, yet manage to feel like only six or seven minutes a piece.
The best track here is “Red Feasts Condensed Into One”, which flows smoothly from the monastic chanting outro of “Be Cadaver”, showcasing what Spectral Voice do best: longer songs that have multiple hooks to grasp onto, rather than a sea of aimless chaos. Dual guitarists Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky trade back and forth lead sections, vocalist/drummer Eli Wendler is a howling tempest both vocally and on drums, and overall, musicianship here is top notch. The listener is given a brief respite in the middle of the song when a trumpet blares before giving way to bell chimes, further exploring the ritual themes and signaling the next part of the ceremony. All of this works well, except when it doesn’t; the next track is unfortunately the weak link on this otherwise very strong affair. “Sinew Censer” has that aimless chaos vibe that albums in this style suffer from at times, and meanders off into nothing before jolting its way back on course for the final minute or so. The production also has me a little baffled. It sounds appropriately gritty and slime-ridden for the most part, but there are points, like on “Sinew Censer” where it feels too messy for its own good. But in spite of this, Sparagmos is an early February highlight, and an album that I’ll be returning to throughout the year. Fans of particularly cavernous death doom will find themselves at home nestled in the subterranean depths.
