Review Summary: Ritual Excellence.
Spirit Possession are surely one of the most interesting modern USBM bands. While the duo have already tucked two thoroughly killer releases under their belts, with their latest release,
Cathedral Speech, the Oregon conjurers have fully cemented their place among the genre’s top-tier freaky occult black metal acts, and written one of 2026’s best black metal releases.
It’s clear right from the opening notes of the title track that the two-piece dug deep for this album. The hammer-ons are almost omnipresent and continue for the duration of the record. This spiraling and disorienting approach to guitarwork can be reminiscent of elder statesmen Negative Plane’s style but remains uniquely and aggressively their own. As a guitarist, it’s hard for me to overstate just how cool the riffs on here are. I can zone in on practically any 30-second portion of this album and find something genuinely intriguing in the playing and writing. Instead of getting lost in their fiendish noodling though, Spirit Possession harness the riffs and opt for a blistering approach, with which they overwhelmingly succeed. The drumming on
Cathedral Speech is pounding and forceful, anchoring the guitars as they spin off into the ether and come crashing back down again in a barrage of first-wave inspired terror. The vocals should sound familiar to fans of occult black metal as they range from raspy growls to echoing barks and yells which perfectly fit in with the ritual atmosphere.
In addition to the dialed-up riffs and blazing drumming, where this album really distinguishes itself from its forerunners is the greater focus on ceremonial atmospherics. Perhaps more than any other modern release I’ve heard,
Cathedral Speech seems to pull inspiration directly from Mortuary Drape’s debut in its thoroughly hex-heavy aura, proficiency of execution and a now-dancy, now-straightforward black metal assault. Much like the exhumed skeleton on Mortuary Drape’s
All the Witches Dance, Spirit Possession similarly never lets the listener rest peacefully or drift into the shadows. Their music balances two contradictory currents throughout the album, feeling both fundamentally off-kilter – largely thanks to the innovative guitarwork – and absolutely driven. It feels like standing in the middle of a poltergeist as doors slam and items fly past your head. Part of that is undoubtedly the inclusion of custom synths which the band have used both here and on previous albums. It all brews together to form a completely immersive occult experience.
While all the songs on
Cathedral Speech are excellent, it’s the final three that really capstone the album. They form a wicked trilogy which finds the band swinging from frantic, punishing riffs to menacing ritual reprieves. The songwriting here, like on the rest of the album, is exciting and varied, keeping the songs fresh and demanding the listener’s full attention. Some of my favorite moments come when the instruments peel back and let the synths and acoustic guitars lead. One of those moments arrives about a third of the way through the final track “Trinity Possessor (...In Ten Thousand Hells).” Another comes at the end of the nearly eight-minute “Hanged Angels as Patternwalls,” or nearing the end of “First Levitation (Accursed Entrances…).” While moments like these were certainly on previous releases, it’s the frequency and commitment to them on
Cathedral Speech that makes them really stand out. And again, it’s hard to convey just how cool the riffs are. For me, this album is already going toe-to-toe with the huge number of outstanding black metal releases 2026 has brought. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
