No matter how much experimentation happens in death metal, it’s comforting to know that there will always be new bands coming up committed to doing things the old-fashioned way. Bands that eschew modern flair and just want to write some stank-faced riffs for the brutal pleasure of listeners. Disembodiment is one such band, and their debut album Spiral Crypts proves once again that we’ll never be lacking for good, gross, old-school death metal.
Hailing from Canada, Disembodiment formed in 2020 and dropped an EP in 2021 and then got to work on Spiral Crypts. And it is clear from the moment the riffs emerge from the sampled intro of “Morbid Infestation” that Disembodiment knows exactly what they want to do. This is pure old-school doomy death metal through and through. The slower riffs stomp with a lumbering swagger, the faster tremolo riffs ooze like a festering wound, and the whole vibe of Spiral Crypts is just delightfully gross in a way that lives up to its bizarre cover art.
To put my biggest gripe up front, Disembodiment‘s approach isn’t a particularly novel one. This type of cavernous death metal trends every so often, and Spiral Crypts isn’t necessarily breaking any new ground. Despite that, the band succeeds in sheer tastefulness of composition and a palpable atmosphere that makes the whole album work. “Morbid Infestation” takes its time running through a great intro section before leaning into the classic death growls that helm the back half. The title track “Spiral Crypts” careens through an assortment of great riffs before tastefully deploying spooky synths to underpin a doomy midsection.
Deeper in, “Larval” features an evocative sampled intro that shifts into a headbang worthy stomp that highlights just how great the effectively reserved drumming across the whole album is. “Unknown Origins” proves a highlight, scorching through its brief sub-2-minute runtime, while the guitar solo that emerges towards the end “Sentient Inorganic Mass” is just perfect in wrapping up the spooky vibe of the album before a lengthy The Thing sample sees the album out. It’s not flashy, but Spiral Crypts is old school to the (decaying) bones, and all the better for it.
It helps that Disembodiment managed an absolutely perfect production for an album like Spiral Crypts. The guitar tone is phenomenal for this kind of music, the fuzzy bass tones are crushing where they cut through the mix (see the break in “Infected to Rot”), and the album feels very murky and gritty without actively burying any instruments. I also deeply appreciate the band’s subtle use of synths to highlight their doomier trudges, and the vocals throughout are balanced brilliantly with more upfront growls balancing against echoey higher wails. Overall, the band strikes a great balance of Incantation-esque songwriting with a septic atmosphere that feels more redolent of Autopsy or early Obituary. In other words, exactly what any self-respecting old school death metal fanatic could want!
For whatever Spiral Crypts may lack in innovation, Disembodiment shows total confidence and mastery in their approach across the board. The atmosphere is suffocatingly dense, the tones decrepit and filthy, and the songwriting is delightfully diverse while never straying too far outside the casket. Sometimes, a nice throwback to the filthy roots of death metal is just what the coroner ordered, and Disembodiment delivers that in grave soil-caked spades. Spiral Crypts may not be a revelation, but it is damned fun, and I’ll be eager to hear where Disembodiment goes next, even if (or especially if) it’s deeper into the muck.
