| Onward To Golgotha | 1992 |
| Mortal Throne Of Nazarene | 1994 |
| Forsaken Mourning Of Angelic Anguish | 1997 |
| Diabolical Conquest | 1998 |
| Infernal Storm | 2000 |
A true stalwart in the underground metal scene, Incantation has been practicing their unique brand of doom-laden death metal for over a decade. Despite numerous personnel changes (guitarist/songwriter John McEntee is the only original member left, and the only member left from 3 years ago for that matter) and a virtual revolving door of vocalists, the band has staked their claim as one of the greatest in the death metal genre's history, as well as one of my absolute favorite bands. Though Incantation's music, particularly their earlier material, may sound like a wall of claustrophobic noise upon first listen, its dark power is soon revealed to anyone with even the slightest interest in extreme metal. Their albums may be somewhat interchangeable, but hey, why mess with a winning formula?
--Kevin Akstin
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COMMENTS
Hi, Kevin Akstin,
Visited your page on Incantation just then. Great reviews, though I must say that I would give Onward To Golgotha a 10 and Mortal Throne Of Nazarene a 9 (not the other way around), but each to his own, I guess.
Incantation, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated death metal bands. This is probably because their music may be difficult at first to listen to for some ("a wall of claustrophobic noise ", as you aptly described it). They've got to be one of the most brutal of all death metal bands out there, and leave groups like Morbid Angel (who are no doubt the kings of death metal), Cannibal Corpse, Deicide and Cryptopsy in the dust. Also, unlike the vast majority of death metal acts, their music sounds truly evil. Although I don't agree with their philosophies, I appreciate their immense talent in and dedication to writing songs that, without coming across as overly blatant or cheesy, manage to evoke dark, evil images in the listener's mind. Rather than frightening listeners (like you said), I think it empowers them, making them feel like they have received ancient cabalistic knowledge.
Anyway, thanks for making that excellent page, a fine tribute to a brilliant band.
Regards,
Jayant Krishnan
(reviewed by Kevin Akstin)
Incantation's first album had a major impact on the U.S. death metal scene. It's considered an all-time classic of the genre, and while I don't think quite that highly of it (the next two albums are true classics IMHO), this is certainly an outstanding collection of songs. Some listeners might be turned off by the lo-fi production, which almost makes the album sound like it was recorded underwater. However, the poor sound quality, along with the equally "lo-fi" cover art (you'd have to see it to understand what I mean), gives the music a perfect feel and atmosphere. Incantation's next release would do this even better, though.
Incantation is probably lucky to be as far underground as they are, because this stuff could arouse some serious controversy with any kind of major mainstream attention. If you're a fan of underground metal, you doubtlessly know of the negative publicity given to Cannibal Corpse several years back when presidential candidate Bob Dole condemned them by name. That band has faced CD censorship and concert bannings all over the world, from Korea to Australia to Germany. But while the Corpse specializes in lurid horror and gore, Incantation's subject matter is very much entrenched in blasphemy and the desecration of all things holy and sacred. Think Marilyn Manson's juvenile antics are "sacrilegious"? Wait until you check out this little CD right here! With such song titles as "Golgotha", "Blasphemous Cremation", and "Rotting Spiritual Embodiment", along with a dark, brutal musical assault to match, the band's intent is rather obvious. But don't worry about Mom and Dad hearing the lyrics when you play this loud; Craig Pillard's demonic growls are virtually intelligible to anyone but seasoned death metal fans.
Highlights are rather difficult to pick out, since all the songs are pretty memorable, but one obvious high point of the album is the opening "Golgotha", which (I'm told) is still a concert favorite. This is a fairly straightforward track by Incantation's standards, with hellish in-your-face riffing and lyrical brevity. It also introduces one of the band's most appealing features, a sparingly used but spine-tingling style of lead guitar. "Devoured Death" is the first song to really show off the band's trademark slow-fast, fast-slow approach, and both the doomy mid-tempo sections and the faster parts have quite an impact. "Blasphemous Cremation" is about as musically and lyrically simple as the album gets, but wins high marks thanks to a slowed-down middle section that creates a genuinely chilling feel. Next up is another favorite of mine, "Rotting Spiritual Embodiment", which slowly builds with a long, menacing intro. Unlike the rest of the tracks on the album, this one stays mid-paced pretty much the whole way, although it contains more brief but excellent lead work.
From there, the album continues to move from one great song to another, with "Unholy Massacre" (which features an awesome opening riff), "Entrantment of Evil" (from the band's original 7" EP of the same name), and "Christening the Afterbirth" (which contains still more successful forays into "doom-death" metal territory) being particularly notable. "Profanation" is one of the most malevolent, doomy tracks on the album, as well as one of the most memorable, while "Deliverance of Horrific Prophecies" (another early EP track re-recorded here) is downright horrifying with its ending of vomitous growls and a brief sample of a voice apparently speaking in Latin. "Immortal Cessation" and "Eternal Torture" are also good, just not excellent like the rest. A fantastic debut, and Incantation would only get better from here.
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(reviewed by Kevin Akstin)
Now this is scary! Not scary in an overblown, Alice Cooper-esque kind of way, you understand, but scary in a shivering-while-listening kind of way. As much as Onward To Golgotha had a dark, malevolent atmosphere to it, this one makes Incantation's debut seem like a Phil Collins album by comparison. I can clearly remembering downloading the song "Demonic Incarnate" many moons ago, and being scared shitless. Even though I'd heard quite a bit of death metal by that point, I'd never imagined that the genre could sound so downright evil. The already guttural vocals have somehow been lowered several pitches until they're barely audible, let alone intelligible, and the production has rendered the music a sick, grinding wall of noise. Trust me, upon first listen, you'll hardly be able to make sense of it.
From the first seconds of "Demonic Incarnate", you know this isn't going to be like your standard Cannibal Corpse album. An absolutely terrifying guitar line (How DID they get that sound?) introduces the track, followed by the thunder of drums blasting away at a head-spinning pace. Next come the vocals, deep and demonic beyond imagination, providing a bone-chilling background rumble. And that's just within the first thirty seconds! The song's middle section is even more frightening, however, with the combination of brutally down-tuned rhythm guitar and feedback from the depths of hell creating a positively suffocating atmosphere. The tempo then picks up again, speeding toward a chaotic finish. 5:51 into one of the heaviest albums ever recorded, and you're already shaking like a leaf.
"Emaciated Holy Figure" opens with a fast riff that should provoke violent headbanging from any extreme metal fan worth his or her salt, but soon turns into another pulse-freezingly slow section that redefines "heavy". A predictable formula, I know, but for all their simplicity, the songs pack a tremendous punch. The band's flirtation with doom metal elements is even more blatant than before, and the shift between a full-throttle blast-furnace and a grinding crawl, as happens on nearly every track, is positively jarring. "Essence Ablaze" may be the most brutal track of all, beginning with a bottom-heavy riff straight from the 666th layer of you-know-where, but the malevolent war march of "Iconoclasm Of Catholicism" and the sludgy, booming "Nocturnal Dominium" certainly come close.
The lead work on "The Ibex Moon" is some of the best I've heard in death metal, lending even more chaos to the faster bits. This particular song may be even better than the ones before it, evoking the feel of the title better than I could have hoped. You can really picture demons conducting an unholy rite beneath the Ibex Moon, tempting angels to join them in their rituals of debauchery. This is what dark, satanic death metal is all about, kids! But still, this is nothing compared to what follows. Next is "Blissful Bloodshower", a brief, speedy 50-second piece that acts as the setup for.
"Abolishment of Immaculate Serenity"! What an incredibly epic track! According to logic, it should be one of the most boring songs ever written. But once again, the atmosphere alone is enough to prevent boredom from setting in. Eight minutes of a low, horrifying rumble? Sounds good to me! If you're not already a death metal freak, this one, even moreso than the rest of the album, might scare you away from the genre for a long, long time. The way the languid pace of the drums, the indescribably deep sound of the guitars, and the aforementioned vocals come together can send genuine chills down my spine even now.
All in all, Mortal Throne Of Nazarene is an all-time death metal classic, and absolutely essential for anyone into the genre. However, just because of this album's (initially) inaccessible nature, I might suggest buying Diabolical Conquest first if you're not yet familiar with Incantation. But really, it's your call. This one's a masterpiece as it is.
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