Whenever I listen to a new black metal demo or album, I always feel a certain apprehension before the vocals come in. At least for me, this is the element that can make or break a band for me, especially in this type of music because I consider them to be one of the most important parts of building the depressive atmosphere that I look for. Thankfully, when the desperate, throaty screams of guitarist John Gossard enter the fray on Enantiodromian Birth, it’s one of the demo’s most powerful moments. Together with the fluid blasting and doomy amblings of the drums, the muddy distortion on the guitars, and the pestilent, rotting aura that presides over the whole tape, Dispirit succeeds in constructing an overwhelming darkness. Each of the two tracks will take up a full side of the pro-pressed cassette (the version available now is a self-pressed C60), but there’s no dragging indulgence to be found. “Besotted by Feral Whims” progresses purposefully from its sludgy intro to its desolate middle section and finally to a driving, almost melodic climax, while “Golden Scar” focuses more on repetition, expanding on a tense halftime double bass riff throughout; and neither track feels anywhere near their twenty-plus minute durations. Overall, Enantiodromian Birth is a fantastic release, and while it could have used a better mastering job I’m hoping we’ll get that with the pro-pressed version.