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Formed sometime in 2017, Sadistic Embodiment are a Death Metal project led by Into Eternity drummer Bryan Newbury that have released a steady stream of fairly well-received EPs since their inception. I haven't listened to them myself, so I can't comment on how Blood Spell compares or on whether or not this is the step forward in technicality the band claims it to be. What I can say is that this is a meaty chunk of Death Metal not too far removed from later Kataklysm, only not as boring as that would imply. The songs are mostly mid-paced and full of pummeling, grooving riffs and unrelenting heaviness, but what helps set this apart from the masses are the startling tremolo sections and some deeply impressive lead work, which contains a keen sense of melody along with a degree of musicality that you don't often see in the genre. All that said, the songs can't always sustain interest throughout the entire runtime, and none of the songwriting is what you'd call first-rate. Still, this is an enjoyable release from a talented band, and fans of more technical Death Metal will want to give it a listen.