Review by Faithless on October 25, 2020.

Spirit Possession strikes with their first full-length self-titled album and what an album ladies and gentleman. SP summons the primordial forces of nature and all evil within the universe, there is no place for melodic passages or overproduced metal; just rawness and obscurity.

Throwback and retro bands are all over the place right now in the underground extreme metal scene, almost becoming a trendy movement. However, Spirit Possession seems to be a time-capsule band, keeping a fossilized sound loyal to those pioneering acts from the early years of metal. A frozen in time record that makes you feel in the '80s where sub-genres were still to be defined and the music was played with true aggression and intention. In a way, you feel like in a ritualistic summoning of elder entities that are coming for your soul to make it burn in hell eternally.

Certain elements in music make it memorable and you tend to come back again and again to specific albums due to the catchiness of their sound. Spirit Possession tends to create catchy, memorable yet chaotic passages that haunt your subconscious mind and your soul even after you finish listening to them. The aura created here is hellish as in the vein of many black metal acts but it feels more authentic and addictive. You can’t tell if they are drawing influences from Norway, Finland, or Sweden, but you can identify the good stuff as soon as the record starts. What makes the record interesting are the heavy thrashy elements infused into the guitar riffing, the band does not fall into dull contemplative black metal. Instead, the music is imprinted with violent yet simple riffs that transport you into an alternate reality where Celtic Frost (the singer in SP even tributes the powerful Ughs that Thomas G Warrior used to do), Bathory, and Hell Hammer are still doing great music. Less is more in SP awesome debut; the filthy and dirty production helps a bunch to transmit the infernal feeling track after track. Something I can criticize is that the simplicity of the album makes it just a little bit repetitive and predictable but is just my opinion and that fact does not ruin the experience at all.

All in all, Spirit Possession is a relatively new and emerging band that has an interesting proposal into extreme underground music. If they continue loyal to this raw, violent, and primordial sound, tasty new releases will come up in the future. Their musical structure is simple but effective, it shines due to their catchy trashy influences and organic production. I don't think there are favorite tracks here, I would take the record as a whole as outstanding; less is more and SP is the proof of that statement.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Fernando on July 26, 2020.

US black metal is an interesting scene to talk about, as it is one of the most musically varied and diverse when compared to all other regional scenes, mainly because its many bands often take inspiration from other black metal bands and artists from other genres. The problem however is the lack of uniformity, most metalheads can pinpoint how a Finnish or a Norwegian bands sound, US black metal bands are all over the place in terms of sound, but sometimes that works for the better, and a little duo out of Portland, Oregon called Spirit Possession are here to prove that exact advantage.

Spirit Possession themselves are a fairly recent band, and this outstanding self-titled debut LP follows the band's demo. What's truly impressive about SP is the technical skill and how complex their playing is. The band's music could be cataloged under the "avant-garde black metal" label but that would undersell how good the music is, since the more outlandish and dissonant elements that are indeed present in the music are just one aspect. In terms of being "black metal" the band checks all the boxes, screeching and echoing vocals, blast beats, distorted guitars and bass and backed up by a filthy and grim production that maintains the raw authenticity of the performances, however, those who are genre savvy will notice a very apparent thrash metal influence, particularly in the guitar playing of member Steve Peacock, who also handles bass and vocals. The riffs and melodies are much more similar to thrash than black metal, in a seemingly deliberate throwback to the 80's bands that heavily contributed to the creation of the subgenre. Spirit Possession uses black metal as a foundation, with elements of thrash and "avant-garde" mixed in to create a sound that's chaotic but oddly psychedelic and the band masterfully displays all of this. Songs burst out from the very beginning or feature several dissonant synths and noisy electronic, courtesy of drummer Ashley Spungin, furthermore, the songs are able to keep the initial momentum and have sections where the aforementioned psychedelic chaos is in full display, as heard on songs like the 'Amongst Inverted Castles and Holy Laughter' and 'Deity of Knives and Pointed Apparitions'.

However, while the band succeeds in spades in creating such a chaotic and complex brand of black metal that makes them stand out, the one nitpick I have to point out is that the album ends too quickly for my personal taste. Additionally the short length can make some songs sound same in spite of how eccentric the music is and how skilled the SP duo are. But again, that is just a personal nitpick as the band more than prove their worth for all the reasons I've already mentioned.

Overall Spirit Possession are not just a welcomed addition to the ever growing and ever diverse crop of US black metal, but have the potential to be one of its greatest and most unique acts.

Best songs: 'Deity Knives and Pointed Apparition', 'Spirit Possession', 'Amongst Inverted Castles and Holy Laughter'

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by SzejkElRopa on March 12, 2026.

It's a shame to confess, but I have never read "The Lord of the Rings" or watched anything from this series. The only Tolkien book I read was "The Hobbit", and it was in 6th grade. Yes, you guessed correctly, it didn't sweep me off my feet, and since that moment, I never came back to anything that was fantasy-themed. It was the case until I discovered a band called Caladan Brood. Although they sing (rather scream) about Malazan Book of the Fallen, not about anything that Tolkien has written, as far as I know, it belongs to a similar literary genre. So I decided to give "Echoes Of Battle" a shot, asking myself whether two musicians from Utah would somehow make me like fantasy.

It is not a surprise that Caladan Brood plays a slow, atmosphere-focused version of keyboard-driven black metal. The songs are long, even stretching to fifteen minutes, to fully develop a story. And the storytelling is the best aspect of this album. The songs never feel too long; whatever the tale is, it progresses with the song, and the instruments, which build the climate of the song. For instance, the title track opens with softly sounding keyboards, and after about two minutes, sounds of the battle can be heard, enriching the atmosphere of this track. Following that, several minutes later, clean vocals can be heard (this is not their only performance), which makes this song even more glorious. Moreover, in other songs, such as 'Wind Autumn Wind', some guitar-driven sections appear. When it comes to that song, a certain thing cannot be omitted. It starts calmly, again with keyboards, and later with a tranquil riff, and moves like this for nine minutes. There are some slightly more aggressive moments, such as growled vocals; however, they don't change the direction of the song. The climate is built for overall nine minutes, and the tension finally defuses with a brilliant, perfectly matching the song's guitar solo. It reminds me of a certain song that I absolutely love - 'Der Blutharsch' from Minenwerfer's opus magnum - "Alpenpässe". I think it was my favorite part of this album. The list of highlights doesn't end here. With the chorus taking a primary role in "A Voice Born of Stone and Dust", the album reaches its second peak. It excels at the glorious character it conveys, thanks to the double vocals, and especially to the repetitious part "We march, we march". The riff playing along to these vocals also plays a significant role in the fact that this song is probably as memorable as "Wild Autumn Wind". I could mention more moments, such as the clean vocals opening and ending "Book of the Fallen", et cetera, et cetera; however, the review would become too lengthy.

The album, as mentioned, doesn't move quickly and does everything to emphasize the atmosphere it tries to convey. There are some faster moments, such as the one in "To Walk the Ashes of Dead Empires" with fast percussion and a heavier riff, although it doesn't change the perception of this album. Despite the undeniable role of keyboards, the guitars (after all, this is still a black metal album!) also get their five minutes. This especially happens when guitar solos kick in - in "Wild Autumn Wind" and "A Voice Born of Stone and Dust". Both solos match the climate and are put exactly in the right place. As it can be guessed, my favorite one was the one in "Wild Autumn Wind". When guitars drive the album, it is usually done with tremolo picking that neither sounds extraordinary nor bad. The drums, the programmed drums to be precise, are said to sound strange, especially when it comes to the cymbals. I agree with that statement; however, the sound is easy to get used to, and in the long run, they don't ruin the sound of the album. The vocals are black metal screams, which are standard for the genre, as well as clean vocals. The latter ones are one of the best things in this album, obviously for the reasons I mentioned above.

And again, it's a shame to confess, but I have never listened to Summoning, a band mentioned very often while, before reviewing this album. I had a chance to listen to two covers of Summoning songs by Caladan Brood, though, and I can say that while played in a similar style, the covers and the original songs by Caladan Brood are different. Well, maybe to make such ignorants like me believe that Caladan doesn't plagiarise Summoning. Jokes aside, after listening to "Marching Homewards", both a cover and an original song, I cannot think of Caladan Brood as worship. This might change with time, though, as after listening to "Echoes of the Battle", I became much more interested in epic black metal and fantasy literature. Because not every song is equal in quality to the others, I give this album 8.8. It is a memorable album that didn't fail to impress me; however, I am not running to the library so as to come back to Tolkien's books, yet.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on December 17, 2018.

When I was first approached to review Caladan Brood's Echoes of Battle I was quite anticipatory as to what brand of atmospheric 'black' metal I might be in for, especially when I saw Summoning mentioned in the press release. I tend to not allow such comparisons to influence my opinions one way or another; after all, how many bands cite Venom or Bathory as an influence and are nothing short of laughable? That said, this Salt Lake City duo is nothing to be taken lightly or to find laughable in any sort of capacity. This is already going to be on my Top Ten list at year's end, that's a given. 

Using fantasy literature as a template for the music, members Shield Anvil and Mortal Sword manage to create some of the more fantastical and introspective music this side of the foggy din of a Swedish mountainside. The ambiance created with the stupendous keyboards is absolutely breathtaking when taken in within one long inhaled breath only to exhale the wonder and cold that is history's wondrous lineage of swords and battles atop a frozen tundra of blood and thunderous armies marching into certain Hell. The images created within this music are second to none, reflecting all of the novels and short stories we metalheads ingested like candy as impressionable children. Two songs into this gem and I'm in absolute awe! 

The only way to describe this collective is to say it's a release of epic proportions, yet I won't lump or file it in with other “epic” albums of similar slant because, frankly, the term is overused so much these days. What Echoes of Battle is and possesses is 70-minutes of a Steven Erikson novel come to musical life, drawing upon the texts of his work, Malazan Book of the Fallen. Every bit the magical piece of imaginative splendor, the orchestral visages of war that Caladan Brood produces are nothing short of sonic majesty; if it seems like an inflated fluff piece, I assure you, I tend to drift off during elongated tracks if the music doesn't hold my attention, but I found myself at the end of each track longing for more as my own mind formulates tremendous visuals of great battles and copious losses of life amidst the ruins of what once was. The mark of a truly great piece of music is to have its background and forefront linger in your head for long periods after it leaves the room. The Caladan Brood does just that, to a very high and precise degree. 

The vocals are a throaty, yet concise blackened issuance, but there are brief and highly potent lapses into clean, large tones that are as bellowing and commanding as anything you've heard before in similar music. It's a wonderful style when implemented properly and carefully. To label this 'black' metal would serve to stultify the music that really delves out and beyond the reaches of the typical atmospheric Alcest-drenched music. The guitar and drum work can often initiate feelings of magical bleakness and tumultuous resolve in one measure, and that alone keeps me interested and enlightened. This is also the type of record that I simply can't break down track by track, as is my usual way of grading I suppose; but when I start hearing “To Walk the Ashes of Dead Empires” I find myself mentally wandering a battered and crimson-painted field of suffering and great pain as the music builds to a zenith so intense that I'm lost in the visuals my mind can't help but create. The album commences with the solemn, yet hopeful “Book of the Fallen”, bringing the album to its logical and necessary conclusion. 

When you think of true 'battle-metal' or atmospheric metal music, I implore you to take this record and seal yourself away for a time. It will be well worth your effort., even if the thought of long tracks puts you off. You'll become so engrossed in what you're hearing and the pictures within your mind's eye that before you know it the phase is over and the pattern begins anew. This is truly a remarkable piece of work, and Caladan Brood is on my eternal radar. Watch for it in early 2013; you won't be sorry. 

When did Utah become the new plains for raids of old?

Rating: 10 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)