As further proof of Germany's evolution into a death metal contender, I offer you the third album from Spawn, a chugging, winding blitzkrieg of pit punishment with nary a dull blade among its implements. The Wicked Reincarnation is neither groundbreaking nor clever, but it is a brutal and effective enough use of 45 minutes.After a horror-like intro featuring an Edmund Burke quote (it's a little cheesy), you are thrust head first into the spine shattering brick and mortar grooves of "One Presence of Terror", which shortly explode into a faster pace. I can hear a wide variety of good influences in this band: Bolt Thrower, Suffocation, Asphyx and Pestilence to name a few. There is enough modern brutality to sate the slam sect, yet a total old school core to the band's myriad of punishing rhythms. "Under the Blackest Sky" uses a more subtle shuffling of vile mutes, carnal melodies and straight blasting. Other noteworthy tracks on this album include the dynamic "Nothing Than to Kill", the desolate and lengthy "When the Crows Return", and the crushing "Friendly Fire".
The album has an excellent mix which anchors the monstrous, bleeding edge of the guitars. Though the vocals are the expected array of growls and grunts, they are delivered with fervor here, loud and ominous and disgusting. Death metal is a pretty broad field, with many thousands of bands churning out material. The Wicked Reincarnation may not be a top notch album in terms of songwriting, but it does deliver the goods for those seeking simpler, brutal death metal with a balance of grooves and blasting menace (Hail of Bullets, Bolt Thrower, and so forth).
Verdict: Win [7.5/10]
http://www.myspace.com/spawndeathmetal
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