After various splits etc…since the debut album, Spectral Voice finally released their second album and Sparagmos has us slogging through 4 songs and with a 45-minute run time, well this does ask a lot of the listener, does it not? The band also retains their signature doom/death approach, however, they have added numerous elements of funeral doom, which is my least favorite form of doom metal, due to the slogging drone of that type of music. The album cover of Sparagmos – the branch of creepy skulls, is befitting for this album.

At close to 12 minutes “Be Cadaver” opens the album with some atmospheric moments and it’s not until a minute later that the music fully forms and yes….the funeral doom, is evident, but definitely some Winter influence going on with the slow AF drums, and this is heavy…but droning as well. The song is in no hurry… let’s put it that way. The vocals come in and are cavernous in nature, as the pained and anguished vocals take hold of the listener and the gutturals come in quite nicely too. Slow, pained, and deliberate the song changes speed at the 6-minute marker, with the faster-paced riffing, but the song is still pretty slow until the song speeds up to a fast pace and this moment has a dISEMBOWELMENT feel and the tempo shift breaks up the monotony, which came before this. The dirgy funeral doom moments return and the atmospheric moments return to round this sucker out.

At 7:39 “Sinew Censer” is the shortest number on this album and begins eerily similar to dISEMBOWELMENT and the speed picks up pretty quickly with excellent vocals, alongside some vocal phaser effects. This song pounds pretty damn hard and the simple drum patterns work for this type of musical speed. The song slows down around the 2-minute mark and the dirge funeral death doom metal erupts….so very slow….with pained and whispered gutturals and some cool isolated double bass drums, at times. The song picks up the pace once again at a furious double-pounding speed – a most excellent song.

“Death’s Knell Rings in Eternity”, at close to 13 minutes, closes the album out with a very epic buildup. Nice drums – – this section played live, will go over nicely and I love the guitar riffing on this section. Entering the picture is that funeral doom portion…droning….it’s a mixed bag for me. Fans of Funeral Doom will go bonkers over these moments….for me, just too darn droning and hypnotic with the speed not changing. The song becomes more epic and atmospheric in the middle and it’s very heavy and sounds quite evil. The album ends similar, in how it began, with the atmospherics.

Spectral Voice’s debut, Eroded Corridors of Unbeing, I prefer quite a lot more to Sparagmos. Sparagmos does not move as much as the debut and the excessive added funeral doom moments, are just not my thing. I can take Funeral Doom in small spurts, but they are incorporated more than I would have liked on this release. The music is heavy and at times the epic atmospherics of the doom-death are pretty darn killer, as well as some of the tempo shifts, however, there are not enough of those moments, for me to keep going back to this album. If you love funeral doom, this will be right up your alley.

Now we are greeted with the debut album, Eroded Corridors of Unbeing and it contains 5 songs in 45 minutes. “Thresholds Beyond” starts with a very cool beginning. Some bass, drums, growl and then right into the doom death dirge. Awesome headbanging moment. Just like Blood Incantation’s production, of their releases, this is true organic and natural sounding. It’s beautiful. At the 2 minute mark, the growling vocals come in as the song picks up pace to more of a mid-paced rumbling death militia. Yes the Holy Shit part is at the 2.25 part. Isolated guitar, drum, cymbal hit then BOOM, right into the yelp yuck growl and blast beat. This moment is killer. The doom death moments come back when the song abruptly stops and dooms you to death. The 3.35 moment is certainly a nod to dISEMBOWELMENT. The song actually has more of an instrumental feel, as there are not many vocal parts to the song.

At over 13 minutes, “Visions of Psychic Dismemberment” (love the song title), comes rolling in, without a care in the world to rush things. Great epic beginning before the signature Spectral Voice mid-paced rumbling comes in. I felt like Tami’s “Sherman” Tank’s treads were rolling over my pathetic body, just for giggles. Vocals are gruff, deep and the 2 minute part is just kicking me in the pants non-stop. The 4 minute mark comes in with a growl and then blast beat and the instrumentation and vocals over the blast are on the mark. Some of the blasting moments and vocals over the blast have a 90’s Incantation feel when Pillard was fronting the band, so you know I’m a huge fan when these moments appear. There are some higher, pained/anguished vocals alongside the gruff deep vocals, which are cool, but not my favorite style. We get a little spoken word moments and atmosphere in the song is dripping from the corridors beyond…. The doom just drifts towards the end and tapers off.

Album closer “Dissolution” begins with a great opening riff and more class doom death nods. More mid-paced moments and atmosphere ensues with some extraordinarily long blasting moments. Definitely not for the faint-hearted and a true lesson in stamina, for Satan’s sake. Another Holy Shit moment at the 5.50 part with the isolated guitar track. Drums come in and right into the mid-paced part. It’s truly a rumbling death militia. Crushing bones, meat, skin, flesh, brain shards, as well as your cat’s litter box. The rest of the song ends similar to how “Visions of Psychic Dismemberment” trails off. And there you have it. The other 2 tracks also follow the same formula as the rest of the album. This album is ensconced in atmosphere, emotion, brutality and all the vintage moments one would come to expect from a doom death metal album, is if recorded in 1991.

Eroded Corridors of Unbeing never falls into the boring category, as this style of death metal has a tendency to do. Spectral Voice craft and structure enough time changes and atmosphere into each damn song to ensure surprise, intrigue and wonder every time you listen to the album. Once again Matt, at Dark Descent Records has hit a grand-slam of a release. Offering up multiple combo packages of this excellent album. Please like Spectral Voice’s FB page, buy their merch and releases. When they come around, see them live. They’re a real powerful live act and the guitars are heavier then Henry “The Greyhound” Mutilator. Eroded Corridors of Unbeing is all killer and no filler. Buy or Die by the Lurking Gloom…..