Album Review: Spectrum of Delusion – Neoconception (The Artisan Era)

On Friday, September 11th, Spectrum of Delusion will release their highly anticipated sophomore album, Neoconception, through The Artisan Era. It is the follow up to the group’s promising 2017 debut album, Esoteric Entity.

Active since 2013, the Katwijk, the Netherlands-based technical death metal group, has been laboring intensely on the creation of Neoconception for the last four years. The end result not only outshines their lauded debut album, but it also shows Spectrum of Delusion fully coming into their own musically and as songwriters.

The band had this to say:

Neoconception quite literally and figuratively stands for the start of something new. Story-wise, we don’t want to reveal too much. People should have fun reading the lyrics, listening to the voice acting, and piecing all the information together themselves. To shed a little light on the story though, it is about the experience of a person whose reality suddenly turns defunct, the world events that follow, and the person in question’s journey of dealing with it.

An opener filled with musical complexities based around a story about an asteroid that is on course with Earth played out in recordings, Downfall is a solid start. However, it’s with the following Defunct Reality and Animosity that Spectrum of Delusion truly emerge from the shattered world. Sharp riffs, blasting percussion and verbal barbs that dig deep. The pairing flow into each other so simply, you wouldn’t really notice the track change.

It’s a bit more obvious when Pointless Endeavour arrives as the tempo shifts briefly before the tech-death band pull back the veil on their layered savagery for a roaring effort. Following that up with a wild showcase of guitars complexities and furious death metal aggression on Torment of Being and Welcome Death. The latter bringing back a simulated voice to advance the story into a much more futuristic state.

In fact at this stage the overall narrative begins to make much more sense and Await the Transition’s brief trippy elements fit the scene so nicely. Into Another Formation has a grander and more epic stance even if the pure technicality of Spectrum of Delusion’s playing is just as harsh as ever. Bringing Serenity’s melody is really relaxing and really hopeful but it doesn’t take too long for darkness and Destruction to come crawling over.

Such is the devastating nature of who we are. The narrative takes an even more intriguing route for Through Mankind’s True Ambition and To Tower Over All Other. It’s really clever stuff and far more enjoyable to listen to thanks to Spectrum of Delusion’s more careful showcase of complex death metal music.

A classy and quality album ends with one last compelling effort in Alone. A telling finale to the story told here even if it is just a short outro.

A wonderful release that really nails the explosive and destructive tale it looks to tell.

Spectrum of Delusion – Neoconception Full Track Listing:

1. Downfall
2. Defunct Reality
3. Animosity
4. Pointless Endeavour
5. Torment of Being
6. Welcome Death
7. Await the Transition
8. Into Another Formation
9. Bringing Serenity
10. Destruction
11. Through Mankind’s True Ambition
12. To Tower Over All Other
13. Alone

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