Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Post Mortal Possession – Possessing Entity

American death metal band Post Mortal Possession’s first release is a 5-track EP entitled “Possessing Entity”. The release is a clinic in riffs and brutality. Though it does not offer much else, it really doesn’t need to. The opening riff of the beginning track, “The Harvest”, kicks things off with a bang. It isn’t long before the drums go off like a jackhammer, providing plenty of blasting. The song is interesting because it manages to switch between some techier riffs (not to be mistaken as tech-death riffs, though there are a few of those as well across the EP), as well as heavy, muted riffs like those that would be found in a brutal death metal band. No matter what style of riff the band is playing, they excel at making them both unique and memorable.

Another strong aspect of this EP is the vocal performance. Post Mortal Possession’s singer can do it all. His growl is deep, and just barely understandable (depending on just how guttural he is getting). Similarly, his highs can be discerned with some effort, and are also well performed. Make no mistake; this is a twisted individual, and his abilities compliment the chaos of “Possessing Entity”.

The production on this EP is perfect for the band’s style. Everything sounds clear (but not at Nuclear Blast levels), yet there is an edge to all of the instruments. This is especially noticeable when the guitars are playing unmuted riffs where you can hear pure unfiltered distortion that is incredibly crunchy. From a drumming perspective, the sound is more catered towards the pulsing rhythm of the double bass. Although Post Mortal Possession’s drummer is incredibly active with his fills, his kit sounds best when it is fulfilling its primary duty of driving the rest of the rhythm section.

Possessing Entity” is relatively strong when it comes to songwriting. Though no song is quite as good as “The Harvest”, every track has something to offer. “Death March”, for example, is driven by a fantastically catchy riff. While it is not particularly fast or brutal, nor does it even feature tremolo picking, it gives the song a distinct sound. "The Arrival", by contrast, has an awesome thrashy riff. Its appearance is brief, but is a nice change of pace. The other songs likewise are chock-full of good riffs, and that is what ultimately makes “Possessing Entity” such a compelling listen. It doesn’t hurt that this release is only 22 minutes, so it never has a chance to get boring. Ultimately, this release shows that Post Mortal Possession has lots of potential.

Be sure to check out and like Post Mortal Possession on Facebook!

Highlights
"The Harvest"
"Death March"

Final Rating
4.2/5 or 84%. 

Written by Scott

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