Starspawn
Starspawn begins with its biggest challenge. Vitrification of Blood (Pt. 1) lasts more than thirteen minutes and uses that time to reveal many sides of Blood Incantation. The guitars move around one another, rhythms shift, and melodic passages emerge just when another attack seems likely.
That extended opening works because it has a clear direction. The heavy initial playing gradually develops greater melodic cohesion. Solos can sound strange and restless while the drums maintain a definite movement. The band make their death metal complicated without removing its weight, allowing individual passages to develop rather than simply rushing through a list of difficult parts.
Paul Riedl's low vocals sit within the sound. Reverb gives his voice a distant quality that suits the atmosphere. The same approach can nevertheless make details less clear. When the drums become busier, the lower sounds sometimes become crowded. The record more often succeeds through its overall effect than through sharply separated instruments.
Chaoplasm gives the music a more direct rhythmic character. Its riffs have greater room to keep moving firmly without losing the unusual melodies. Meticulous Soul Devourment later offers a quieter passage with acoustic guitar and plenty of space. The contrast is striking, changing how the heavier material around it registers.
The closing title track brings back the fast, sharp side and carries enough melodic feeling to be more than a final burst. The long opener nevertheless remains the main point of comparison. The rest of the record cannot constantly equal its range.
Starspawn is strongest when technical detail and atmosphere work towards the same purpose. Blood Incantation do not need an additional layer of effects to make their music unusual. The strange guitar lines, active rhythms and contrast between closed-in and open passages already provide that character.
