Blood Incantation – Starspawn (2016)

blood incantation star spawn

Article by Lance Viggiano.

Blood Incantation give birth to a star which rapidly dissipates its vibrant material into a pale dwarf by exhausting concise songwriting early in its lifecycle to leave only the raw core of extended jam sessions which cause the dead to be grateful for their passing. Each proper song begins with a clear objective but rapidly loses focus through descents into ill-fitting random pastiches of mosh riffs, doom, beer horn ready chug or atmospheric atonal ambience. By and large, the latter half of these songs are used to adroitly drift in the vacuum of purpose wherein it makes its residence. Unlike Altars of Madness which similarly abuses the listener by stretching the limits of tolerance towards virtuosity, this group lacks the voracious songwriting that is necessary to avoid wandering by achieving focus to force the captive into loving punishing bouts of self-indulgence.

Individual phrases are well executed and of notable quality especially in comparison to the contemporary landscape. Irrespective of context however, nothing approaches a mythic significance to afford a legendary status. Divaricating this work through a sense of brevity is the best possible path for Blood Incantation as there is no shortage of ephemeral satisfaction in its parts; it is the whole in which they meander that is beyond redemption.

Melodies are of moderate length, dissonant character and often harmoniously interwoven despite the tendency to fray at their edges. The Starspawn occasionally summon the unrepentant spirits of Inquisition to torture the living with sinful vapidity. It is precisely at this juncture in the opening cut where the legato-narrative abandons its tale completely by sublimating purpose into populism for the remainder. The album’s coda shifts both guitar and vocal phrasing stylistically into an outright Timeghoul plagiarism that was only hinted at prior; further dimming the birthed luminous vapor.

Despite being delivered with invigorated incandescence, Blood Incantation fail reduce entropy for the lifeless planetoids orbiting their begotten dancer. It therefore serves as little more than a dismal lamp casting a faint flame upon opaque engrams of a once vital culture in its dusk. A stillborn reminder that closed system incest simply does not produce viable offspring and that genetic rejuvenation must often come from an outside source once diminishing returns completes the degradation of a particular perspective on the world.

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14 thoughts on “Blood Incantation – Starspawn (2016)”

  1. Ara says:

    Aww. That’s disappointing.

    1. Vigilance says:

      Highly but unsurprisingly so. I was genuinely looking forward to at least listening to the record. After that initial honeymoon however, it starts to sound very very flat.

  2. Vigilance says:

    Apologies if this one is opaque. For clarification:

    The record is a pretty good example of how a culture which has said all it has to say has three options:
    1) look outside itself for rejuvenation (mainly where modern model ceases being metal)
    2) strike it lucky at plucking the remaining but rare low hanging fruit.
    3) stagnate entirely by finding old forms to photocopy.

    This record is basically option 3 pulled off fairly well. It will ascend underground best of lists because it wanks off to more difficult to copy bands. The list of actual “influences” is too vast to list since nearly every riff is reminiscent of something else – contributing to whatever semblance of quality this record possesses.

    I’m always wary of music I like a lot on the first go around. This was no exception. Once the euphoria settles, the sober image is more clear and its faults are inescapable.

    Or….. I just like music that plays hard to get because I’m a desensitized curmudgeon.

    You choose.

  3. fenrir says:

    Lance, have you ever been proposed to?

    1. Vigilance says:

      A tender Latin boi in a burzum shirt and ass-clenching urban bdu pants. Naturally I accepted his proposal.

      1. fenrir says:

        <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

  4. David Rosales says:

    Cool death metal cover, though.
    Nice ANUS writing revival, btw.

    1. Vigilance says:

      Complete lack of sleep + copious amounts of coffee.

  5. Interracial Porn and Arghoslent says:

    Eh still looking forward to this. I’m a sucker for Timeghoul clones, even if they’re not anywhere near as good as Timeghoul. Guess I’m a faggot like that. Also, review some Fabricant already. Curious to what you crusty shit bags think about them considering they, too, are heavily influenced by bands like Timeghoul and Demiilich.

    1. We will check them out unlike Ungod and Dark Funeral.

      1. Nobody says:

        You should probably check out Ungod and Dark F…. never mind. suck my dick

  6. David Rosales says:

    Interdimensional Extinction was VERY bad, it would seem doubtful this next would even reach above the “meh” mark.

    1. Vigilance says:

      There are at least three paths a culture can take after reaching diminishing returns:

      1) repeat old forms ad nauseam.
      2) look outwards for rejuvenation
      3) die.

      Option 2 is taken by contemporary metal lauded by sites such as metalsucks. Looking outward towards shoegaze, jazz, etc. has resulted in music that hardly passes for metal and is hardly pleasing for lovers of metal at its peak.

      This band have chosen option 2 and have been released by a label which specializes in issuing repackaged retro for genuine fans of metal that have relaxed standards; merely wishing to hear “quality” metal rather than something novel or singular.

      A band as a singularity, an entity unto itself is rare these days. A highly individualized voice is uncommon and is nevertheless a quality which – in my view – is a measure of the cultures health.

      Perhaps more on this in the future….

      1. Boner machine says:

        Did you mean to say this band has chosen option 1?

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