Retromorphosis
Psalmus Mortis


4.0
excellent


Release Date: 02/21/2025 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Love me some Allegro by Satan's little quintet.

Ah, that three-stage assault on the throne of Brutal TDM Heaven by an alliance between hyperbolical Suffocation worship and the cerebrality of classical composition: with Cabinet (2003) as the first formidable outing, Noctambulant (2006) the unattainable masterpiece of deranged darkness, and Incurso (2012) the baroque consolidation of all evil intricacies hitherto conceived! Such is the stuff legends are made of, and if ever Satan needed his own chamber orchestra to put his twisted plots to symphony, Spawn of Possession would surely be among the first solicited.

So now we have Retromorphosis, with Psalmus Mortis. Are we faced with, as etymology would have it, a "change in shape accompanying a degenerative transition from a higher to a lower, less differentiated state or structure"? A discontinuation it is certainly not, let alone a slate wiped clean. But neither can we speak of degraded continuation. This is a palimpsest, and a rather interesting one.

From the outset, it is undeniable how technicality and complexity post-SoP have been taken down several notches on Retromorphosis' debut, while it is equally clear how the overall signature is still that of main SoP composer/riffer Jonas Bryssling. At the same time, one readily notices that the centre of creative gravity has tilted towards musical storytelling - for that it is, in each song from first to last, combining the mastermind's love for old school death metal, classical music and horror movies - with more accessible structures, progressions, themes, riffs and atmospherics, thus making tracks and the album as a whole graspable and enjoyable in more immediate ways, rather than leaving it to the otherwise oft-dumbstruck listener to puzzle his way through an opaque maze of compositional and technical ingenuity.

This shift in focus, for me at least, accomplishes the opposite of watering down the songwriting quality or listening experience - if one insists on SoP's previous body of work as a reference point. Returning to the issue of technicality for that matter, as one processes the sensation of the album's more immediate tastiness and digestibility (effectuated by the judicious use of repetition and recurrence, catchy melodic themes and atmospheric background synths, among other things), the realization also sets in that its technical level of execution is, in fact, still ridiculously high. Tracks like “The Tree” and “Exalted Splendour”, for instance, may see the spastic frenzy of Noctambulant turned down from 45 to 33 rpm, their power to stun and drop jaws is none the less for it.

The Incurso crew (minus Henrik Schönström, plus KC Howard) are thus given another fleeting 42 minutes over eight tracks to display their instrumental mastery, while also remaining consistently faithful to the directive of 'plots over antics'. (It is pleasing to hear, incidentally, how Christian Muenzner’s leads tune in perfectly with the vibe of each song.) Production follows suit with a mix that is sufficiently grainy, balanced, and pleasing to the ear. In sum, Psalmus Mortis maintains an open line with SoP’s legacy and back catalogue, while laying out new and tasty breadcrumb trails to future endeavours, eagerly anticipated by yours truly.



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user ratings (67)
3.8
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
DePlazz
March 7th 2025


4861 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

A lot more could be said about this, but I figured we now have a thread for that.

NexCeleris
Staff Reviewer
March 7th 2025


1844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

Finally! Thank you for your service.

Nailed it with the third para.

evilford
March 7th 2025


68830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Nice rev pos'd album killz

DePlazz
March 7th 2025


4861 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thanks. I admit I was bracing for disappointment when the album came out, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Stuff's extremely listenable. It did make me revisit SoP's discog several times, the contrast is certainly there.

NightOnDrunkMountain
Staff Reviewer
March 7th 2025


1004 Comments


Pos'd and a thread for this album now rightfully opened

Gameofmetal
Emeritus
March 7th 2025


11872 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Not as, say, operatic as Spawn of Possession but nice and chunky and familiar in a good way.

DePlazz
March 7th 2025


4861 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

That is certainly one way to put it.

@Night thanks

Hawks
Contributing Reviewer
March 7th 2025


99612 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

My fav Spawn album easily tbh. Awesome review brother.

Kusangii
March 7th 2025


7449 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Disappointing album. Felt quite bland and repetitive for their standards. My expectations might have been too high but still.

DePlazz
March 7th 2025


4861 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Tx Hawks bro

@Kusangii I get that, I was disappointed by the singles at first, but the album as a whole really pulled me in.

Space Jester
March 9th 2025


11425 Comments


Album fuckin rules as expected, cool review

DePlazz
March 9th 2025


4861 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I thought this interview was entertaining, it gives a lot of context on the transition from SoP to Retromorphosis: https://youtu.be/u0bRleuJLsI

Kusangii
March 9th 2025


7449 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Nice find, def gonna check that

Titan
March 9th 2025


25894 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

dope feature, nice work DeP

DePlazz
March 9th 2025


4861 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Yay, tx!

Pon
Emeritus
March 10th 2025


6159 Comments


You actually have a very nice writing style. Lovely review, brother man !

Confessed2005
March 10th 2025


6437 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Great review. Very well crafted.

Anthracks
March 10th 2025


8277 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Just lovely

Hawks
Contributing Reviewer
March 10th 2025


99612 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Yessss!!!

DePlazz
March 10th 2025


4861 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Humbled, thanks all



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