SPIRITUAL MIGRATION

"Spiritual Migration" is the 4th full-length studio album by Andorra based progressive death metal act Persefone. The album was released through ViciSolum Productions in March 2013. The news value and the novelty of Persefone being an Andorra based metal act (which is the first time I´ve ever heard of a metal band from that small country) has passed by now, and while the band´s debut album didn´t exactly make waves (it did turn heads), the two predecessors have really helped Persefone make a name for themselves. Not because the band come from an exotic country, but as a result of their high quality music on those releases.

The high quality of the output has not decreased on "Spiritual Migration". If anything the quality level has increased a notch or two. Persefone play a progressive type of melodic death metal. Soilwork is an obvious reference to my ears, but Persefone are generally far more progressive and keyboard heavy. There are extensive fast-paced harmony guitar/keyboard parts throughout the album. The vocals alternate between aggressive growling vocals and clean vocals.

The tracks are structurally challenging and features great dynamics, and as a result "Spiritual Migration" is a relatively varied listen. The tracklist includes both vocal tracks and a couple of instrumentals. The musicianship are outstanding on all positions. Persefone are arguably a very talented bunch. "Spiritual Migration" features a clear, professional and powerful sound production, so it´s safe to say that the band fire on all cylinders on this one. And with great success I might add. The only issue with "Spiritual Migration" is the 70:34 minutes long playing time. It´s not that the quality of the music drops at any point during the playing time, but a playing time that long is bound to exhaust the listener, when the music is as busy, detailed, and bombastic as the case is on "Spiritual Migration". On the other hand there is real value for the money here, so maybe I´m being a bit unfair. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.