IMMOLATION
Harnessing Ruin
Olympic Recordings
8/10
Over the years, Immolation has come to rely more upon traditional metal elements rather than the death styling of the early nineties in order to deliver an impression of darkness.
The mix here is low-toned, with crunching bottom end bludgeoning being the band’s modus operandi. Dirging riffs create a doomy feeling on “Son Of Iniquity” while creating a classic death vibe on “Swarm Of Terror” that seethes with a brutal tonality. Immolation have deliberately attempted to create different states of ambiance, ranging from grooving grinding to dissonant offset polyrhythms. Ross Dolan possesses a grainy, gruff bark that gives tracks like “Our Savior Sleeps” an ominous tone. On this track, you will find Immolation combining widely separated styles with expertly dark song craftsmanship.
At times, the band summons a wall of noise and others they move for more disjointed grooves. Steve Shalaty can blast with the best of the extreme metal drummers, issuing a precise yet variable attack. If you’re an Immolation fan and have heard about this release, you probably already own it. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check this legendary group of NY deathsters out, “Harnessing Ruin” is as good a reference as any, easily standing up to the group’s prior albums, with an added bit of catchiness to boot.
If the bleak strains of the apocalyptic title track can’t get a metalhead moving, it’s hard to imagine what would. Immolation continues to prove themselves deserving of a lofty stature within the death metal community with yet another outstanding album of pure unholy death delivered with caliginous conviction!
ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
0 comments:
Post a Comment