IMMOLATION - "CLOSE TO A WORLD BELOW" (METAL BLADE)
IMMOLATION - "CLOSE TO A WORLD BELOW" (METAL BLADE)
Last year Immolation impressed me with the intensity and raw energy of "Failures for Gods". Well, their new album, "Close to a World Below" is fit to wake the comatose, to comafy the weak (if you get my slightly dodgy neologism), to shake from their most persistent stupor the lamentably stupified.
I suppose there are people from an entirely different persuasion than yours truly, who inevitably fail not to rhythmically react to the latest Jennifer Lopez or Back Street Boys offerings. With me, this is very much the case when listening to Immolation. As if not consciously controlled, my arms flail about my body in an attempt at air-drumming, my fingers flex and contract semi-spastically in an attempt to play the air guitar. If I get particularly carried away, my throat soarens in response to my oral outbursts to accompany Immolation vocals.
(I figured if I could get away with using 'to comafy', I might as well throw in 'to soaren'. If these words don't exist, which they probably don't, then they should.)
Though not as technically amazing as Cryptopsy's Flo Mounier, Immolation's Alex Hernandez I think is the key to the band's energetic appeal. He is very intense, lightning fast, and loud. I will definitely have to check out this band live, it will probably be quite a jaw-dropping experience. Listen to "Furthest from the Truth" and "Put My Hands in the Fire" to hear some awesome drumming with frenetic blast-beats and insane general rhythmic mayhem. Coupled to that there are some cool guitar riffs and a vocalist that could grunt the plaster off your walls, dark and foreboding.
Immolation have It. The production enhances It. And just when you think you've had It, they throw at you the title track as the closer of the CD, a true climax.
This is grade A death metal. This you need to have.
Click here to check out or buy this CD
RK
Written October 2000