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It's been a while since I have written last review. One below is not the best example. It should be posted ages ago, but heck here it is today.

It's hard not to go boo-hoo when a thought what this band could brought us if it would not stop shortly after this eponymous release crosses the mind (mine at least). The potential which is shown here may be one of the biggest in whole Metal universe. Since I am a Watchtower-nut and totally VoiVod-crazed, I'd hardly resist not to check out anything that wears word »weird« on its sleeve. In fact my eyes caught it when I was browsing Vibrations of Doom classic vaults. The syntax »spectral incursion« would be unfitting for a NWOBHM or common 80's heavy metal product so it easily stood out between Sparta, Spartan Warriors and Steel Angels. It also signalled sth different – I was reminded of Nasty Savage's Incursion Dementia (NS's best track in my book). However, I usually get very pissed when band's name doesn't represent band's music, which is very common nowadays. The first evening spent with them was not very convincing, but the point of progressive music of all kinds is in successive listenings, spins, whatever you like. With one round one would not reap much. Actually it waited a year or so, before I gave it another try. Then a spin after spin I started to feel its grip tighter and tighter.

What I find especially alluring is the balance of quirkiness and classica. Not too quirky and not overtly melodic. Unpollished production helps to expose this feature as well. The »thrashiness«, the »progressiveness« and the »epicness« are well woven together. In fact the whole package if fairly coherent and almost 95% seamless with the rest 5% making it even more sympathetic. I would pick it even prior Sieges Even debut, for it is deeper and may open more surprising perspectives.

I wonder if it went totally unnoticed in its time (reviews in zines were probably unfavourable if there were any …), or there were few individuals who actually listen to it or even get inspired by. A few items from DaN's vaults make me think so.


Question for Mr.Keir : since you're hailing from Massachusetts … what are the prospects that you obtain their rehearsals DaN raves about and which make me salivating?

Yes yes, but they really could have used a 2nd guitarrist don't you think? Great music, but a bit sketchy and unfinished imo. Was it Mr. Preston who had some SI demos laying around? If he ever gets around to rip those TEMPEST (ger) demos, I'd like these as desert..

Well, I guess they used what they could. Whether there was enough decent axemen around is questionable. Finding suitable people for such operations as playing prog thrash was never an easy job.

See, I take it as it is, after all. The rest are dreams.

Ah! The reason I joined this forum!

I don't think they need a second guitarist. Besides Deathrow and Mekong Delta all the classic technothrash bands had one guitar in proud Rush tradition. If you're talking about a few overdubs in a studio, well there are some, perhaps there could be more. But not a constant second guitarist muddying the sound, unless he were extremely good.

There's a special charm in listening to a great guitarist playing 'rhythm and lead' at the same time. Robust chord work and then on the last bar a blazing legato form! I enjoy this lots.

What I find especially alluring is the balance of quirkiness and classica. Not too quirky and not overtly melodic.

Agree. Actually there's some pretty advanced voivody harmonics in parts of these, and there is paid special attention to how riffs 'loop'. Meaning that whenever the guitarist wrote parts he wanted to repeat a lot of times in a row, he made certain that the riff didn't seam back into itself in a way that was predictable, but it wasn't jarring either. Good metric concepts, very nice pauses that accent oddness. Generally very nice mesostructural attention. I'd like lyrics too to know what it's about but can't have it all

Unpollished production helps to expose this feature as well. The »thrashiness«, the »progressiveness« and the »epicness« are well woven together.

Correct! I find the production PERFECT for this. I did normalise +6dB the rip that I downloaded from here because it was too quiet, but otherwise this is robust and breathing. Great for noticing detail, but also heavy fuckin' metal. In some ways this is exactly how I want my ancient metal to sound. Like human beings play it, no metronomes, rugged but with clarity and order. A nice juxtaposition of human and superhuman traits

I would pick it even prior Sieges Even debut, for it is deeper and may open more surprising perspectives.

I'd say you're going too far here. The first Sieges Even has endless structural depth to examine. A few songs in there are absolute gems of song-making, not just riff-making or complication-making Definitely the most listenable TT release after Control and Resistance. This comes in third though!


Do we know what the people here did after Spectral Incursion? Has anyone contacted them? Is there any other material anywhere?

I didn't say that it is more accompished than Life Cycle, but that it is less indebted to Control And Resistance or Watch Tower in general, and as such quite a potential to develop into sth unique and massive.

I dare to say that Mr. Preston actually knows more about SI, than we could ever guess. Am I wrong, Keir? What actually happened with this band? It seems they weren't mentioned in any 'zine or leaflet ...

Sorry, don't know anything about them despite the fact that I grew up in literally the next town over from Haverhill. It says on their MySpace that they played Boston a lot but I can't remember ever seeing them, and I went to shows every weekend back in 1990-92.

So they were totally obscure. Played a lot ... that must be pretty relative. We can only speculate then

Have checked myspace trax. at first few listens they sound pretty glib. Where's the grit gone? Surely it's good but still ...

just noticed this topic.

I have the "Middle of Nowhere" demo that is here on the band page?
http://www.myspace.com/spectralincursion
and "NOWHERE FAST" demo and GRAVEN IMAGE POST-S.I Demos

So I guess I need to rip this for the forum is what you are saying? did I promise it once? I forgot if that is so, along with TEMPEST it looks like!

yes yes yes yes please do!

Spectral Incursion is OK. It's a record that I'd have to be in a particular mood to listen to. There were three demo tapes that I know about, with the first being made under the band name Graven Image. Here are some cover photos

Graven Image demo 1987
http://www.users.qwest.net/~paulchain/gravenimage.jpg

Nowhere Fast demo 1988
http://www.users.qwest.net/~paulchain/sinowhere.jpg

Middle of Nowhere demo 1991
http://www.users.qwest.net/~paulchain/simiddle.jpg

My tape player is not hooked up so I'll leave it to doomedplanet to rip them for us all.

doomedplanet wrote: So I guess I need to rip this for the forum is what you are saying? did I promise it once? I forgot if that is so, along with TEMPEST it looks like!

Well, after I checked the old thread in Poisonoise, I saw you really promised to post demos. Do as you see fit.

Mr. Steel Tsar, welcome my friend. Shit if I had known you had those real demos I would have had you send them to me to rip. is it the same stuff I just uploaded now??

anyway check the other thread for uploads.

Where is this other thread? I need to download those rips so I don't have to hook up my tape player.

You won't be able to see Poisonoise section until you complete 25 posts