Possession
1585-1646
(Iron Bonehead/Invictus)
Beginning in December of 2012, Possession have blazed through speakers and risen as formidable songwriters. Releasing two prior EPS, His Best Deceit and Anneliese, the band gained notoriety through the black metal scene. No member changes since inception and two strong releases have fueled this monster.
Speaking on the concept of 1615 – 1822, Mestema explains the story of how the witch that triggered his interest grew into an EP. “When we started to work on our upcoming MLP, I was reading a book about witchcraft in France during the middle-ages. The story of Adrienne D’Heur is the one that fascinated me the most. I suggested to the band to work on a conceptual release, telling her story mixed with our own fantasies.”
Possession favors the EP format. 1585-1646 is no different, as Iron Bonhead and Invictus team again to release this. The intro, “Obscurity” is mesmerizing. A recording of a cold wind leading into rain is played. Horses, disturbed and naying, set the tone. A flash of thunder commences a chanting.
“Visitation” opens with a chilliing Black Metal riff. A bass drum kick pounds a solitary hit every few measures. It is a full two minutes before the drums come with a consistent hit. This slow ascension builds the tension and opens are story. When the tracks is unveiled, furious drums speed up as windswept vocals become omniscient. The open riff that comes in the last minute, followed by a bandying lead, create different textures and expand on the BM formula.
“Ceremony” kicks in, the rumbling bass and thundering drums push the horror to new heights. Possession fuse atmospheric black metal and death metal’s power to unleash four vicious tracks. The spawn is heavy and evil. “Guilty”, the third track, is fast and adheres to a classic BM sound. After three minutes of tortotous noise echoing from a cold castle, the music helms a death metal swinging riff over charging double bass.
Spitting this venomous record forth took only four days in a studio. Possession called on Phorgath of Enthroned / Emptiness to record. The songs cluster together to project the arc of the sory. The final track being named, “Ablaze”, portends a fatal fate for the doomed female. Possesion’s short story is invigorating and tempered to the correct length. I look forward to more records from these Belgium cvlt purveyors. (Hutch)
