Immolation

Unholy Cult (2002)

For me Immolation were always a band that had a lot of original ideas based around the creative use of dissonance and twisted, ugly atonal riffing. However I never felt as though they ever were able to flesh out these ideas in such a way that allowed them to write a fully consistent album.  Many see Close to a World Below as their magnum opus, which is a chaotic tangle of relentless bleak riffing that threatens to swallow the listener into its aural void. It is not far off the mark and whilst its suffocating intensity is undeniable, it is probably too overboard to be a regularly palatable part of any listening diet. Maybe that is the point, but it is hard to make a connection with an album that is seen more as stranger than a close friend.

That brings us to Unholy Cult which at the time was the band's most direct album.  Similar techniques to those found on previous albums are used, however these have been pared back and the song-writing is more refined. The album still has its share of odd time signatures and rhythm patterns. It could be still described as chaotic, but not nearly as overbearingly so. In other words Immolation found a way to keep their signature sound and expand it into a form that is less cluttered by nature and is overall more dynamic. The album is a good example of where simpler ideas can actually be better ideas. For instance there are more big tempo changes and you get a distinct feeling compared to previous albums that the ideas on here are given more of a chance to breath and inject themselves into your mind.

The riffs are often more rhythmic and have sound that really exudes dominance.  Paired with the sacrilegious lyrics and fiery, lashing guitar solos this really captures the power of an unholy crusade on the march.  There is generally a major idea that runs through each song and riffs fitting this theme wrap themselves around it or bounce off it and form a critical mass. In many cases there is an initial rhythmic idea that is distorted and twisted it into different shapes which assist in building a large amount of tension.  As with any great force marching towards inevitable war the chaos of battle soon follows. These sorts of moments can be found in the major 'relief' sections or extended outros, where the band often gets more epic or expansive in their playing. These riffs, with minor variations as they go along, are rode into the end of the song like a giant army rolling over the enemy. The duration of such sections is much longer than any in the band's previous history. The songs are granted a great sense of power by preceding build-up to and ultimately the execution of these sections.

Unholy Cult is a great example of an old school Death Metal stalwart learning and applying some new tricks after the turn of the millennium.