Spiritual Deception – Oxymoron

Band: Spiritual Deception
Title: Oxymoron
Label: Independent
Release Date: 08 October 2021
Country: Italy
Format Reviewed: High-quality digital recording

One of the good things that I found/love in the infinite underground world is finding new bands.

The offering is infinite, to be honest, and very hard to “follow” and even harder to review.

Is not in goodwill that sometimes we can’t review everything we get/listen to cause we all have our main jobs and no time to listen to everything. But we try our best, like always.

The way I choose what I want to listen to depends. I have my “listen to list” but sometimes doesn’t work cause there is something that grabs my eyes or curiosity or a band that I like.

In this case, I chose Spiritual Deception cause of the name of the EP. Yes. Do already thought about the phrase you can do and does that means you said an “Oxymoron”?

It was a good surprise.
I didn’t know anything about the band. Nothing at all, except for the name. I remember to read that name somewhere.

The band released the EP on 08 October and is available via Digital and CD and some bundles, check the band’s Bandcamp.

The EP is divided into 5 songs and one of them is an instrumental.

The band is moving inside the Technical Brutal Death Metal style with keys here and there and/or orchestral voices. Hmmm… Sometimes I can admit that sounds good, strong, cohesive but sometimes not so much.

The first song “Hidden in Consciousness” starts brutal and with a very good riff, good quality, and very well balanced sound production, and then… What? Keys, orchestral voices? Really? Am I listening to the correct band? Well, the player “says” yes… Hmmm… Curiosity started to run fast inside me. So I let the music go on… It’s technical, the band member’s knows what they are doing, going fast, slower, solos, voice, bass, drum, riffs, etc etc. They are good and they did good music. The orchestral voices appear more times and I was not getting convinced.

The second song “Captatio Benevolentiae” started with the same mix and the orchestral was there once more.
This time the song is slower with more groove/weight even if the orchestral parts are still here and there and still didn’t sound so well to me. And then… After a bit more than half a song, the sound drops a lot. No more weight. I know why the notes are very different and not so bass anymore, and after a solo mixed, during some times, Bum… There they are again. The “weight” returned. It was strange but at the same time sounds good.

The third song “Oxymoron” is an instrumental song that starts with a piano, that goes on flowing and little by little the instruments come in, creating something that manages to be harmonious but at the same time, I would say a little melancholy. that goes on flowing and little by little the instruments come in, creating something that manages to be harmonious but at the same time, I would say a little melancholy. Very good.

The fourth track “Damnatio Memoriae” started fast but the journey through 04:17 music length can be diversified. Fast, slower, groove, orchestral, technical, “chaotic”. All together and still doesn’t bother at all the changes.

The fifth and last song “Serpent’s Speech” is so good. The tempo changes, the voice, the riffs there, and once more the orchestral part. I notice my right hand trying to play with a drumstick and my feet doing the kickdrum. Or sometimes trying to play the guitar tempo (riffs only, no solos or leads. Lol).

My ears want more and… The end. No more music. It’s over. I didn’t notice the time passing, Yes I know about 21 minutes, not so much of course, but I want more. So the EP… Was on repeat many times and still, the orchestral parts were hard to be absorbed, not easy. But… Finally, my ears finally accept it and I notice myself moving my arms while the orchestral parts are playing moving the melody up and down.

Final words. It’s an EP that is not “direct” or maybe “accepted” and first hearing, (or second, third or fourth) but it’s an EP that deserves to listen with a “careful” listening, especially the orchestral parts, the cause, is not normal on the Technical Brutal Death Metal and it’s different. Very to be honest, at least to me.

Was a good discovery. For me and very well deserved… 8.5/10 The Key Keeper 666

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