Following an impressive demo and mini-album, I was expecting to be more impressed by Possession’s debut full-length album. The Belgians dish out impressively clear and concise black/death with plenty of evil atmosphere but they never really lift themselves out of the solid zone. Despite some strong riffs, the songs in the first half all blur into one. Exorkizein gradually improves, and is at its best in its closing stages with tracks like In Vain and Take the Oath being standouts. Possession have an appealing Watain-like delivery and catchiness but there’s not enough of that band’s threatening audacity and ambition here. Exorkizein is far from execrable but not exactly exciting either.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
Sometimes I find a band sounds better in small doses like a split or EP.
Depending on the genre it may sound samey to other bands or the same as other songs on the album.
Sometimes also a band works their ass off to get that perfect sound in small batches, but then throws in fill to make a complete album.
Also, the band may have been rushed to get the album out and cut corners.
I did a post about the first EP from the Canadian band The Wild! and the band members mentioned the producer cut a bunch of songs to take it from a debut album to debut EP. Perhaps the producer here needed to whittle.
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As albums go this one is pretty compact though, I’ll give them that. It feels like it could maybe have been sequenced better. But it’s got a story so they maybe let that get in the way of their better judgement in terms of sequence? The execution is just off somehow too… not convincing. Maybe reigned in a bit too much?
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Well there goes any hope I had of sleeping without nightmares.
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Sorry lad. Just drink some milk and think happy thoughts.
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I’ll go to my happy place of gumdrops and honeydew.
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Yes. Dine on honeydew and drink the milk of paradise.
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It was decreed by Kubla Kahn.
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That cover reminds me of yon Scientology place. I don’t know what’s more frightening!
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Scientology definitely!
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That’s where the evil lives.
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And Tom Cruise.
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Ahahahaha! There’s a joke in there, eh?
John Travolta, Ton Cruise and the Devil walk into a bar…
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They sound very Belgian.
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True. And does the world really need ANOTHER Belgian metal band? There’s just so many of them.
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Beelzepoirot are my faves
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I especially like their matching moustaches.
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I guess there are worse zones to be in than the ‘solid zone’ – but if your business is (as the post tag would indicate) evil metal, I’d imagine that’s not where they were aiming to end up!
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Definitely not. And when there’s a gazillion ‘evil metal’ albums out every month, solid isn’t going to get you anywhere!
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Sometimes this stuff works for me, and sometimes it just sounds like they’re trying too hard. This may be the latter, but I haven’t ever made an album like this, so what do I know?
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It’s just too forgettable. Missing the x factor of greatness.
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Gah x factor! I’m having Blaze flashbacks!
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