INCANTATION "The Infernal Storm"

(Relapse Records)
Release date: 2000

Review: This new Incantation album resumes where "Diabolical conquest" stopped, this album is definitely into previous album vein. Incantation is still ond of the purest death metal band around, and certainly the most stylish as well. The effort on song writing, cover artwork, lyrics etc... is always on top of everything I know in the genre. They have this particularly heavy texture on guitars, a truly obsessional eerie sound. And they can go from near-grindcore parts to extremely slow doom stuff, and keep their mighty ominous trademark sounding intact. This band still provides the chills for me, definitely! Well some will surely complaint they always play the same shit, but I prefer when bands keep their music unchanged along the years, so you know what to expect. Yet, even if Incantation style stayed unchanged, that's another story for the line-up! I compared line-ups from previous album and the one here, and it's all new members (again!), except for guitarist John McEntee who, I guess is the essence of the band... This I don't like! I prefer bands who always keep together. But anyway, since Incantaion always sound the very same way, I don't really care. My favourite Incantation album is although "Mortal throne of nazarene" coz it had even more of the eerie heavy sound, deeper vocals and rawer sound production. Here the sound quality is maybe too perfect, however more adequat than on "Diabolical conquest"; vocals are also better than last album's (with less annoying kinda high-pitched variations). Then, lyrics on this one are all too technically satanic, I also prefer those on "Mortal throne of nazarene" which were more stylish... So to make it simple: Death Metal freaks will dig it, that's for sure, and it might bore grindcore integrists. Personally I thoroughly enjoyed it and that's all that counts for me... And yeah, the cover artwork is once again really cool, by the same Miram Kim who did the other albums covers. Great.

Tracks: 1)Anoint the chosen 2)Extinguishing salvation 3)Impetuous rage 4)Sempiternal pandemonium 5)Lustful demise 6)Heaven departed 7)Apocalyptic destroyer of angels 8)Nocturnal kingdom of demonic enlightenment

INCANTATION "Mortal Throne of Nazarene"

(Relapse Records)
Release date: 1994

Review: This is certainly not the most brutal, fast death metal album ever released; but Incantation have this special sound, so maledictive, apocalyptic, low-tuned, and heavy. It's truly incredible. There's a doomy vibe through guitars, and some very slow, breath-taking infernal parts, but the songs are really catchy and fast most of the time, with blasting drums and an awesome, totally low-tuned guitar texture, it doesn't sound like guitars anymore, just a heavy, chaotic fog of satanic medodies. It sounds like hell! more than any black metal bands can do! The vocals are guttural, some of the lowest, deepest I ever heard, a little like Mortician... Probably the most artistic album in brutal death metal genre. The front cover artwork is wonderful, it looks like an abstract collage, a little goat-shaped. It also features inside artwork by Wes Benscotter, naked girls and demoniac beings all together taking part in a huge sexual orgy! Lyrics are to check too, some of the shortest ones in the genre, just few lines of blasphemous elucubrations for each song. Close to poetry...

Tracks: 1)Demonic incarnate 2)Emaciated holy figure 3)Iconoclasm of catholocism 4)Essence ablaze 5)Nocturnal dominium 6)The ibex moon 7)Blissful bloodshower 8)Abolishment of immaculate serenity

INCANTATION "Diabolical Conquest"

(Relapse Records)
Release date: 1998
Review: Ok, this the new Incantation full-lenght album! Line up has changed(a new time)... but musical content didn't really. What you can hear on there is some classical but excellent old school death metal between fast blast beat tempos and heavy/doomy passages. Vocals always seems to come from beyond the grave, but do not always stay as low as on "Mortal throne of Nazarene". Song structures are more complex than before... But guitars always sound so specially, rather low tuned and generating profound, apocalptic melodies. Of course you can clearly hear elements from their previous releases. Sound is very good, but not always powerful enough. As well, "Diabolical Conquest" sometimes gets monotonous and not catchy at all... But compositions are in general very well done and really worked out. The artwork is beautiful, by the same artist as on "Mortal throne..." and lyrics are always so unholy, profane and blasphemous! Finally, this is a wonderful Incantation album. Only destined to true death metal freaks.

Tracks: 1)Impending diabolical conquest 2)Desecration (of the heavenly graceful) 3)Disciples of blasphemous reprisal 4)Unheavenly skies 5)United in repungence 6)Shadows of the ancient empire 7)Ethereal misery 8)Unto infinite twilight/Majesty of infernal damnation