At this point in their career, Immolation are a band who need virtually no introduction. They boast one of the strongest catalogs not just in death metal, but metal as a whole. Their last album, 2022’s Acts of God, was yet another bold offering, showcasing a band who, despite their veteran status, were unafraid to keep pushing their musical boundaries. See, for Immolation, there is no such thing as stagnancy. Just when you think they can’t dive any further into the abyss, they find a way to do so. Indeed, if there truly are nine circles of hell, Immolation have unlocked the tenth with their latest barrage of disso-death supremacy, Descent.
Whereas Acts of God was a more technical affair by Immolation standards, Descent hones in on songs that can only be described as equal parts epic and demonic (i.e. “These Vengeful Winds”, “False Ascent”). Perhaps it’s the way the production is executed (shoutout Zack Ohren), the arrangement of the songs themselves, or a combination of both, but there’s something undeniably larger than life about this album. Even at its most chaotic and disorienting, the songs grip your soul and never let go, their claws piercing your very essence, standing head and shoulders above your run of the mill, cavern-core, Immolation worship act.
Indeed, there is only one Immolation, and the band does a most brilliant job reminding us so over the course of 10 songs and 41 minutes. Structurally speaking, many of these songs could pass for being caught in a time-warp between Dawn of Possession (1991) and Here in After (1996). Cuts like “The Ephemeral Curse”, “Adversary”, and “Bend Towards the Dark” boast that unrelenting abrasive attack of those ’90s death metal classics, albeit emboldened by the aforementioned punchy production and a healthy dose of dissonance that modern day DM takes for granted.
Conversely, there are some refreshing palette cleanses to be found on here as well, and when I say “palette cleanse”, again, I mean by Immolation standards, so don’t expect any love songs. Slow, lumbering slabs of iniquitousness like “God’s Last Breath” and “Attrition” showcase the band’s unique brand of death/doom: A trope that has been featured on every Immolation album going back to the beginning. When they want to, they can go toe to toe with their peers on Peaceville, no problem. Equally as fulfilling is “Host” with its ritualistic rhythms and downright unsettling drum sound lifted straight off Failures for Gods (1999). I’ll never forget reading some metal forum as a youngster, where one user aptly described the drums on that album as resembling sticks pounding against a kit of human skin. Good luck getting that descriptor out of your head.
Though I won’t go so far as to crown Descent our album of the year, I will say that as far as death metal goes, this is gonna be tough to beat. Of course, the same can be said for any year in which Immolation drops a new album. This band is consistently both excellent and diabolical, refusing to relent or submit to flavor of the day trends. Yes, whereas certain peers who shall remain unnamed spinelessly hop aboard bandwagons or streamline their sound to appeal to younger, hipper demographics, Immolation remain unshakeable, a death metal institution through and through. May their descent never end.
8 out of 10
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Incantation, Morbid Angel, Gorguts