Extreme Metal Reviews | INCANTATION - Primordial Domination | Diabolical Conquest Webzine

One of the most widespread calumnies propagated in the underground is that of Incantation being a boring or static band, a band that, for the better part of the past two decades, have nothing more to show for their efforts than a steaming mass of underproduced mediocrity. Now, I have no idea where or whence such impudence/idiocy stems from, though it is apparent to me that today's attention-deficient Unique Leader-fellating brats do not have the cerebral capacity to contemplate the majesty of one of death metal's foremost institutions. There are certain fundamental axioms in death metal that should be inculcated into every aspiring member of our underground community, and here's one of them- just like you can't be a metalhead without the first four Manowar records, you cannot pledge allegiance to death metal without acknowledging the supremacy of Incantation. The facts speak plainly- Onward To Golgotha IS one of the most impenetrably dark extreme metal records of our time, the band IS a monolith….to dispute the legitimacy of such claims is to renounce your own credibility in the audience of more informed souls.

Among the aforementioned fraternity of imbeciles, it would appear that there is a vocal faction that puts forth the assertion that Incantation may be prolific, but have, to the woe and perpetual consternation of folks already numb to their previous output, gratuitously churned out slab after slab of monochromatic redundancy that presents scant deviation from the rest. Again, I decry the infidels- each Incantation record sounds vastly different from the last to my ears, and while their progression is considerably less drastic than, say, a band like Atheist, listeners with sense and fortitude can certainly trace an aesthetic arc in Incantation's discography. It would appear to me that John, Kyle and Joe have taken such libel to heart, and offer the most OBVIOUS artistic leap in their discography thus far- the stylistic gulf that exists between this and Decimate Christendom is so immense that one might almost suggest that this is a different band altogether, though the defining traits of Incantation - oppressive and claustrophobia-inducing intensity, sledgehammer, pummeling riffing and pervasive darkness, are all accounted for.

You know all those Severed Survival type moments that surface from time to time in all your favorite Incantation records? Not entirely obvious, of course, but affectionate enough to suggest parallels. Those moments have been amplified and inflated to a grand degree here, and even the most uncouth ears will be able to detect the obvious homage to Reifert and crew throughout the recording, though Incantation channel these “Charred Remains”-isms through a characteristically epic, expansive Incantation filter. Where Decimate Christendom represented a more consistent realization of themes already explored on Blasphemy, Primordial Domination disrupts any sort of logical continuity that exists between itself and its predecessor- this is assertively the most accessible and instantly gratifying Incantation record to date, and actually SUCCEEDS in streamlining and harnessing the Incantation sound while embarking on dramatic new deviations, triumphing where Immolation's Harnessing Ruin failed last year. Also note the EXCELLENT production here- not immaculate by any means, but a more organic, “roomy”, natural feel that feels more spontaneous and thoughtful, affording the perfect sonic canvas for the album's honest material.

Strangely enough, you won't find the schizophrenic, mercurial twists Mcentee is renowned for on this outing- the development of songs are somewhat linear, and the dissonance and perplexing frenzy of Incantation's signature compositions have been downplayed in lieu of barreling, astonishingly focused, steamroller death-sludge, expressed in more straightforward terms than anything the band have done to date. Yet, nothing feels compromised here- every song OBLITERATES, from the portentous, lumbering instrumental intro to the tumbling, torturous “Hailed Babylon” (fuelled by a PUNISHING mid-paced riff that will knock the wind out of you before slowing down even more to BATHE you in acrid, fetid, almost Derketa-esque SLUDGE for the hook, THEN immersing you headfirst into Reifertian psychodeathic bile), all the way through to closer “Conquered God” (I suppose it's rather typical to say that the last course on Incantation platters tends to be the most sumptuous, and this maxim does prove true here..check out that IMMENSE Epicus Doomicus Metallicus dirge that closes the track out). The most breathtaking aspect of this record is the lofty, mammoth FEEL of each number, condensing all the epic scope of Incantation's prior work into monomaniacal, lean distillations of FURY without ever becoming bloated or cumbersome. This is the mark of great songwriting.

An absolute killer, and possibly THE disc to convince your friends to enlist in the Incantation cabal, though in some senses, it does sound wholly unlike anything the band have offered to date. I'm not entirely sure if this is Incantation's vehement argument that they can create death metal infectious and forcefully focused enough for even the most ADD-riddled dullard, but, like anything this band has ever touched, it is more convincing than I could hope to express with mere words. This band will forever sit atop death metal's Olympus, gloating at the insipid malcontents who vainly cast rocks at their graven thrones.

Incantation - Primordial Domination