Good luck to anyone trying to keep up with Spider God as G their arachnid muse never stops spinning his musical web. Since 2020 there have been a staggering 26 releases (according to Metal Archives) of varying lengths and types and there is some serious creativity behind the project. That said, Possess The Devil is only the third studio album and it follows less than a year since the last one which took us into a murderous place ‘The Killing Room.’ True life crime along with some added fictional embellishments are what have flowed in the narrative on the albums and that is very much the case here too. Amateur sleuthing is encouraged and clues are hinted at for those who like solving things. Contextually 1st album ‘Fly In The Trap’ focused on the strange death of Elisa Lam and follow up ‘The Killing Room’ took us into a sinister online trap with band member Faustus reported as missing after being ensnared into a game called ‘Possess The Devil.’ This apparent concluding chapter takes us all over the place, from Cromer to Casablanca It’s up to you if you so wish to tie all the clues together like an amateur detective. Some news samples may help and you can try and work out the lyrics if so inclined. The music however is enough of a challenge itself so I’m taking the easy option to focus on that.
As ever hyper melodic and kinetic black metal is the base here but with elements of thrash, death and we are told no shortage of inspiration from 2000’s metalcore bands like Underoath and Norma Jean you can expect a varied thrill-seeking listening experience. Put simply though the music goes like the clappers and never stands still for a second. It’s as catchy as ever and is bolstered this time around mastering from Cult Of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg. Joining G are The Oracle muse Patrick Murphy back on drums and James Palko on live strings.
First stop ‘Cromer Culture’ may see more than just crabs being pounded by a hammer in the Victorian seaside town. Melodious hooks are flowing straight away as the enticing rhythm swings, speeds up and the drums are battered away. It’s like waltzing on a bumper car at the end of the pier and there is a bit of a carnival atmosphere going on. Single ‘Starcrasher’ is an atom smasher of a track, the chorus impossible to shift as it hits with meteoric force. There’s a touch of Devin about its delirious decimating collision course and the song released prior as a single makes a massive impact. Some of that metalcore shred crops up on ‘To The Furnace’ and the pace ramps up to nothing short of incinerating. This we are actually informed “tells the story of Keith Hall, who admitted to killing his wife Patricia in 1992 but was never convicted” and despite the as ever upbeat nature the rasped words “You can’t catch me,” send a chill down the spine.
Songs come thick and fast and are thrown out in a dizzying display guaranteed to get you head-banging along. Blast beats are far from uncommon and the flurrying guitar work stabs and slashes away like crazy with the demented dialogue constantly haranguing and snarling with their apocryphal dialogue. ‘Traces Of Infamy’ brings the mania down a little with a progressive and somewhat sorrowful melody compared to the others. It’s not long before ‘The Wolf’ is out on the hunt again though as the ride moves into a jagged slalom course and some of those Oriental melodies that always seem to crop up rear their head on ‘Faustian Pact.’
These ten tracks really combine into a manic assault course driving away in an unrelenting fashion like a sledgehammer on their ‘Merciless Agenda.’ There’s sod all in the way of restraint and like an out of control killing spree one gets the impression that a mad dog has been unleashed to slaughter and is going to be a very tough cookie to put down. The last act of ‘Divine Intervention’ might summon an end to the bloodshed for now but its more case of resting in pieces than in peace. Follow the bludgeoning carnage and fill in the clues at the following links.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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