DISPITEOUS are a Death Metal band from Singapore and "Divination Of Possession" is their debut full-length, released on June 23^rd 2018. Being a little under half an hour, in certainly feels a bit of a tease as this band delivers six proper tracks and two ambient interludes, conjuring apocalyptic imagery and building a sinister atmosphere. Elements of Thrash, Progressive and Post-Metal are sprinkled throughout the songs, but this mostly stay on straightforward Death Metal territory.

The album opens with the ambient sounds of "The Reckoning". A mash of feedback, samples of something burning and sheer but tolerable noise. It settles a mood for the record, as the listener slowly descends into the ominous world of "Divination Of Possession".

"In The Abyss Of Reality" feels like a wake-up call into this nightmarish realm. The drummer goes full beast mode behind the kit, thrashing along with metronomic precision. The bass drum pierces through the sound, sounding particularly present for such a record. The vocals show considerable range, adding some powerful screams and reaching some demonic sounding lows beneath the growling. Some tasteful and carefully placed solos fill the sound on the instrumental passages, enhancing the experience rather than being the focal point here. This band has chops, that's undeniable, but they are no show-offs. Quite refreshing in a genre that can be overtly complex.

A nasty, almost Doomy instrumental comes next, in the form of "Isolation 孤". Deep, funeral bass gallops along while guitar bends add just enough dissonance to a pretty straightforward song. It feels almost Post-Metalish at times. It transitions flawlessly into "Passage To Oblivion" a less Thrashy and more purely Death Metal, brutally complex banger. Outstanding work from the rhythm section, stitching together a song with many rhythmic shifts. There's some audible clipping in both tracks. It does not hurt that much, but becomes slightly distracting, specially on the denser moments. It might be an stylistic choice, but I'm not particularly fond of it, and it is a production issue that pops up several times through the album's length.

"Requiem" is another dark ambient passage, and functions mostly as a respite for the ears after last track's assault. It is followed by the groovy chaos of "Conflicted Torment". This song is really playful when it comes to rhythm, emphasizing and de-emphasizing a 4/4 feel. DISPITEOUS really know how to lock a groove and also how to shake things up with syncompation and odd phrasing from every player, even in the way the vocals line up/do not line up with the main melody/riff. "Torment" ends up exploding on a massive wall-of-sound outro, before slowly fading away in a puff of feedback.

The aptly titled "Descending Apocalypse" plays a couple of times with a chromatic descending melodic idea, adding a subtle nudge of unsettleness. It feels a bit broken in structure compared to the previous Tech-y songs, with less of a natural flow, but it actually works thematically, feeling apocalyptic indeed. It ends quite abruptly.

Closer "Melancholic Manifestation" is a ballad-esque instrumental, certainly adequate for this big finale. Reverb-drenched clean guitars and a emotionally resonant solo make for a great intro. Beautifully written, deeply melodic and even with a slight folk touch. There is still room for dissonance on this song, crawling underneath the surface as an ever present menace. An appropriate track for post-apocalyptic reminiscencing. It feels like the aftermath of a horrible event, fitting nicely at the end of a dark record.

"Divination Of Possession" is a strong debut from DISPITEOUS and one that leaves the listener waiting for more. Minor production issues aside, the length of the album is the main reason to complain, here. Especially considering two of the eight tracks are ambient passages, and one of the two instrumentals does not even reach the three-minute mark. As talented as the band is, it is a pity not being able to listen to more carefully crafted and written, full songs. A solid record that hints at a promising future should DISPITEOUS decide to double on their ambitions.