ALBUM REVIEW: Incantation – Unholy Deification

INCANTATION are not only one of the most legendary Death Metal bands, but also one of the most consistent. They return on August 25th with their thirteenth full length album via Relapse Records.

Grisly riffs below into life with a cacophony of visceral putrescence. Eerie leads seep over the blast-beats and maniacal rhythm guitars to conjure the true essence of Death Metal from the very earliest moments. As I mentioned in the introduction, Incantation are one of the most reliable bands on the planet, here we can immediately tell another truly crushing record will be given to us by the masters while they never tread water. Rather than repeating their glory days, these maniacs never left them, so giving us the same record is not necessary because their work is always unfaltering and true to form. Clearly the vision and passion from the earliest recordings has remained burning bright as “Unholy Deification”‘s earliest moments present carnage of the highest calibre to rot the brain with absolute devastation.

Blending their titanic blasts of bestial devastation with some gut-mangling grooves and doomed moments is something Incantation do seamlessly. Always twisting the knife with some new malformed monstrosity that comes forth from the sonic abysses. Harnessing these evil spirits, their riveting execution and relentless playing is presented with a monolithic production value that showcases every slime-ridden tendril of audible putridity that one would hope for from Incantation. The tension in the builds of these tracks is palpable, creating a sense of panic that can easily ebb and flow to disgust or sheer mania, leaving us a mayhem-rife yet cohesive listen. Convulsive grooves fall naturally betwixt thrashing assaults, ensuring not only the sound space but also the songwriting is dynamic and varied while all falling into this grander picture of eldritch horrors.

The way in which this record is written and recorded has this huge kinetic energy that flows straight into your body. Even the most withered carcass will be banging their head to the abhorrent grooves and vitriolic bombardments of extreme aggression. Reeking of whatever lurks in the tombs they dwell, Incantation do not wane strength, plunging swords of pestilence into your ears right up to the ending moment. Their insane delivery simply does not decay, as massive booming drum fills bring in more and more waves of sadistic riffs and graven vocals. This unending churning of fury is truly addictive, ensuring that one play of this mighty opus will never satisfy and you will return for more skull-hammering intensity. This is guaranteed as each nuanced piece of pulverising Death Metal has plenty to offer and even more so in the context of the full album which is a wicked concoction of repugnance and malice. Expect no mercy or respite, only morbid triumphant death.

Venomous abyssal destruction from one of the best Death Metal bands on the planet, new or old. Incantation’s new offering is, as always, an unmissable and abominable delight of blasphemous ruination. Nobody should have to be told to check out new material from this band, but if this is the shove into the crypt you need; then so be it… Do not deny yourself the mortally wounding brutality of this record and its hideous sonic delicacies. Incantation fly the old school flag as stoically as ever.