From the worldwide spread of the internet, here comes another band which was forged in the webs of online presence. Spiteful Visions is a supergroup consisting of the members of Coagulate, By The Thousands and Aepoch. Being an online project, the band aims to deliver a unique taste to death metal by combining the technical and melodic elements. The band has dropped their self-titled debut album “Spiteful Visions” this weekend. So without any further ado, let's jump into the discussion! (Also, with the band’s guitarist Stuart Stelter passing away last year, this album is released in the loving memory of him)
From the intro track “SUFFOCATING STENCH”, the band channelizes a powerful wall of sound. Combining baroque styled shreds along with fast catchy riffs by the late Stuart Stelter, the phrasings instantly make you realize that you are definitely in for a “techy treat”. The latter half of the track exhibits a shift towards the melodic realm with catchy guitar lead sections, while maintaining the groove beneath it throughout. With tracks like “THE GROTESQUE LYON OF VERSAILLES”, the band puts its signature groove up front along with the melodic guitar riffages. The chorus puts forth such melodious passages that it might seem “cheesy” a bit! With each passing minute, Matt Grozdanich builds up the intensity with his powerful drumming skills.
“THE MARE” is like two distinct songs mashed up together - the first one has an uplifting vibe with a power metal psychedelia to it. While the first one comes to a halt, the second one showcases intense grooves with fast neo-classical shred blasts often. A bit lengthy compared to the other songs, this one takes you on a hell of a ride! The title track “SPITEFUL VISIONS '' has an inherent thrashy feel to it, with a lot of progressive and technical elements, which just expresses more through time. Combining with the blistering double bass and blast beats, this one certainly brings back memories of Kreator. Even with its outro track “KALEIDOSCOPIC CATACOMBS”, the band in no way seem to run out of groovy riffs. In addition, the choppy riffs with some added dissonance does add more flavor to the song-structure in general.
The biggest weapon to have in the band’s arsenal is the musical chops. Almost all the members are flawless on the record. Brett MacIntosh delivers what he has been always good at since his days in Aepoch - the delivery of his high screams and low growls are on point and the seamless transition between two is seamless. Matt Groznaich rips the drums on almost every song with his incredible skills. However, this is Stuart Stelter’s record. The man’s guitar work is proof of his musical prowess. His presence and contribution will be felt forever. The entire runtime of the record is catchy, melodic and engaging. Though the members have stated being it an online project and this might be the band’s debut record, Spiteful Vision proves how much musically rich a record can be, when like minded musicians come together.
Review: 3.5/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Spiteful-Visions-104427272233373
Genre: Technical Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal
Worldwide Release: April 8th, 2022.
