I reviewed Immolation’s eleventh album Acts of God, four years ago and here we are with album #12, Descent. This album is a little more streamlined, and this lineup has been intact for a decade so they are firing on all cylinders with Ross Dolan on bass/vox, Rob Vigna and Alex Bouks on guitar and Steve Shalaty drumming those angel wings right off the angel adorning this album cover.

“These Vengeful Winds” comes blasting forward with a start and stop blast that is pretty lethal, and Ross “The Real Boss” sounds just as ferocious as past efforts. Ross takes care of himself, and as a singer doing this sort of vocal work for decades, he is still one of the best out there. The dissonant riffs that have Bob Vigna’s influence all over this are crucial to the Immolation sound. The start and stop groove with the 90’s era vintage pinch harmonics have pinched the angel’s legs clean off the trunk, from this album cover. That is how precise and sharp the Immolation harmonics are. The drums are pretty intricate, and the poly-rhythms are ever-present, on this album opener. This is an excellent song, one that goes for the jugular, then slows down and gets moody.

“The Ephemeral Curse” erupts with a monstrous blast, unlike the album opener, which has a very short intro, this sucker will go into your ear and rip out your eardrum. It is loud AF. More stop and start blasting with bending guitar riffs and more off-kilter drum patterns. Check out the 2.20 timestamp. It’s hoppy, dissonant, atmospheric, and just plain weird. Immolation does death metal weird the right way, as they are one of the purveyors of this dissonant style of death metal. Other bands in this style, you probably know are, Demilich, Gorguts, Incantation, Ulcerate, Artificial Brain, Pyrrhon, etc.. Terrific guitar patterns and a solo to boot. Monster blasts all around us and squealing guitars to slice your face to ribbons.

“Adversary” and “Attrition” were the first two singles released before the release of the album. I’ll take a stab at “Adversary”, since it’s supremely brutal. Monstrous opening blasts and drum rolls early on, then the discordant riffage takes center stage as the song meanders into a slower, more visceral pattern. The song goes for more high velocity blasting, then slowing down even further with some melodies, and the riffs are excellent with the album production and mix capturing Immolation’s sound. I love the drum blasting at the three-minute mark. So tight.

Ending the album with the longest track, the title track, is blistering in its opening, then the slower portion with the cool double bass pattern. The start and stop motion is hypnotic, in its dissonance, and metronome-like effect. Around the two-minute marker, a swirling guitar solo comes in, and Immolation’s monstrous presence is felt in the blasting and slower pace that erupts afterwards. This song is very catchy, and I love the lead guitar riff.

Descent bests Immolation’s last effort. The band does not rest on its laurels and has created an even more complex and brutal release, which will be on my year-end list. How the band comes up with some of their perplexing riffs…well, perplexes me! Original, brutal, and crushing – this album owns from start to finish. The ubiquitous nature of Immolation’s signature sound can be heard in so many varying genres of extreme metal; however, trust and believe there is only one Immolation!!

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