There's simply no stopping INVOCATION SPELLS. One of the hottest bands in the shit-hot Chilean black/death scene, this diabolical duo continues to unleash one punishing slab of filth 'n' fury after another, each one more concise and crushing than the next. Spread Cruelty in the Abyss follows hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed The Flame of Hate, released internationally last year by HELLS HEADBANGERS. Like that predecessor, Spread Cruelty in the Abyss wastes absolutely no time in igniting a sulfurous conflagration from the first few notes...except this time, it's more quickly apparent how daresay catchy INVOCATION SPELLS have become.
Lest anyone accuse the band of softening or selling out, be aware that Spread Cruelty in the Abyssis simply and 100% INVOCATION SPELLS through and through: no compromise, and no quarter. Like The Flame of Hate before it and Descendent the Black Throne before that, Spreads Cruelty in the Abyss possesses a special magick that eludes easy "blackthrash" categorization - namely, through an acute balance between the bestial and more classically speed metal tropes - but the molten, even martial pulse the duo develop further here turns these more deliberately hypnotic spells of possession into veritable anthems of minimalism, spilling poison and black blood in equal measure, and even more endlessly headbanging than before. And with this unselfconscious, even-more-pronounced emphasis on "catchiness" comes an even swifter and stricter sense of economy: Spread Cruelty in the Abyss clangs 'n' bangs with absolute authority in a mere 26 minutes. Get in, get out, get fucked.
And just like they have with their songwriting nous, INVOCATION SPELLS have all about perfected their production style, once again locating that ever-so-sweet middle-ground between fuck-off raw and clear/cutting, with each incensed-yet-impassioned note ringing out through the humid haze before mangling the mind with quintessentially Chilean diabolism. And now, North America will be able to witness that diabolism in the flesh, as INVOCATION SPELLS have timed the CD and tape versions of Spread Cruelty in the Abyss with a full tour alongside speed metallers OUTLINE. This summer's gonna be a hot one, then, so no better time to Spread Cruelty in the Abyss!