Though the Meshuggah influence of palm-muted riffing anchors each track on Possession, there is far too much going on in Benea Reach’s adventurous third album for them to be lumped in with the rest of the djent scene.
Opener Woodland stacks majestic guitar lines and layers of keys atop a vortex of rhythmic precision, while the expansive The Mountain demonstrates Benea Reach’s knack for delivering a gripping chorus. They sound formidable when unleashing their full arsenal of riffs on Nocturnal and the seismic breakdown on Constellation, but sound equally impressive when morphing into the more considered Desolate and the exquisite Aura.
However, it’s the centrepiece, Crown, that encompasses everything that makes Possession such a startling achievement, melding heaviness and haunting beauty with deft ease.
