spawn of possession - cabinet

spawn of possession is a band i largely overlooked. i became aware of them when i saw the vinyl re-issue of their sophomore album "noctambulant" go up for pre-order at the artisan era internet shop. i am still looking for an e.u. retailer that carries artisan era records (anyone a clue?) and of course i was looking around on the bay. no "noctambulant" but the first album "cabinet" crossed my path.

"cabinet" already was released sixteen years ago in 2003. the label it actually appeared on was unique leader records and they lisenced the vinyl rights to french label osmose productions ten years later. the two labels seem to have teamed up quite a few times apparently. my copy of decrepit birth's "...and time begins" is a product of that liaison as well. back then black and limited red translucent vinyl was pressed and i was delighted to see the red lp on sale with a reasonable starting bid.

in the end i placed the only and thus the winning bid. the record arrived in prime condition. sharp edges to the sleeve, no seam splits on the printed dust sleeve and clean vinyl. the seller knew how to ship the goods well. musically this is fast and technical death metal of the breathtaking kind. archspire must have been great spawn of possession fans because there are quite a few similarities. not sure how many have been pressed. osmose productions. 2013.

decrepit birth - ...and time begins

i bought decrepit birth's fourth album "axis mundi" last year and was blown away by it. easily among the best three tech death records of 2017 in my humble opinion. it was my first encounter with decrepit birth and my usual modus operandi in such cases is to check out what other releases the respective band has under its belt. only the first two of the remaining decrepit full lengths had been pressed to vinyl (third album "polarity" from 2010 never got the vinyl treatment).

debut record "...and time begins" from 2003 and "diminishing between worlds" from 2008 were released on unique leader records and the californian label liscensed the vinyl rights to french label osmose productions. osmose released a "diminishing..." lp edition in 2012 and "...and time begins" in 2013. the facts so far. of course in the meantime all the copies of the limited coloured runs sold out. so i was dependent on second hand options. thankfully osmose found a little batch of left over blue copies from "...and time begins" in the vaults and put them online.

discogs gave me a hint and now i am the proud owner of this nice vinyl edition. musically this pretty raw and unfiltered brutal death metal with a technical edge. not as elaborate as last year's opus but the foundation was laid. noteable is that bassist derek boyer was a founding member of decrepit birth and went on to play in suffocation ever since. the vinyl looks very nice. slip sleeve with dan seagrave artwork, quality printed dust sleeve and 180g opaque blue vinyl. don't know how many have been pressed. osmose productions. 2013.