Immolation
Dawn of Possession


4.5
superb

Review

by TBliss USER (33 Reviews)
May 20th, 2010 | 886 replies


Release Date: 1991 | Tracklist

Review Summary: One of the greatest debut death metal albums of all time.

I still remember vividly the circumstances which led me to first listen to Immolation. Some years back, whilst flicking through an issue of Guitar World, I came across a section in which Slipknot guitar player Mick Thomson detailed his most influential songs, which I immediately consumed, being a huge Slipknot fan at the time (and incidentally still am). He took us through the typical teenage obsessions with Slayer, Testament et al, and some early death metal acts such as Morbid Angel with whom I was already familiar. Then I noticed a name I surprisingly did not recognize, as Thomson explained the virtues of a band called Immolation, and their debut release ‘Dawn Of Possession’. Instantaneously, it became my mission to find this album.

When a copy was finally obtained, I was unreservedly hooked. Immolations sound has a bleak and sinister intensity to it that other bands in the genre simply could not match, a feat which comes as a result of the superior and innovative musicianship on display. Guitar players Robert Vigna and Thomas Wilkinson display an abundance of stunning riff work that lurches and grinds with a certain off-kilter malevolence, really making for some fascinating listening. Opener ‘Into Everlasting Fire’ provides a glut of shrieking harmonics and technical lead breaks which, while impressing with their sheer proficiency, affect the listener with an ominous ambience.

The drumming of Craig Smilowski has a similar effect, as he assaults his kit with an unremitting performance, rarely ceasing to execute his work with anything but a mechanical and expeditious approach. The simply ruthless percussion imparted on ‘Despondent Souls’ cannot fail to impact.

Vocalist and bass player Ross Dolan also has a huge bearing on the atmosphere, with his voice having a monstrous presence. His huge, throaty roar is of a convincing quality that, coupled with the addition of some slight reverb, gives the vocals an eerie yet fearsome combination. His bass work is, for the most part, unfortunately lost in the mix, yet the glimpses we do obtain betray a competent, skilful effort, more than worthy of complimenting the standout guitar playing.

The thing that makes ‘Dawn Of Possession’ such an stirring release is how these musicians are able to meld their talents into compositions of such devastating furiousity. Death metal acts are renowned for their desire to sound malicious and inherently evil, yet rarely can a band achieve this convincingly. Immolation assure us that with enough musical adeptness and an unquestionable sincerity, some outfits have the power the power to truly disturb and enthral.



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user ratings (781)
4.1
excellent
other reviews of this album
FreakMachine (3.5)
A very solid debut that contains all the hallmarks of the band's later career, simply missing some o...



Comments:Add a Comment 
rasputin
May 20th 2010


14968 Comments


urgh now i cant listen to this one either

FadeToBlack
May 20th 2010


11043 Comments


namedropping slipknot in immolation review

jingledeath
May 20th 2010


7100 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

what the

rasputin
May 20th 2010


14968 Comments


portal swarth is not a good album to recommend with this album

Urinetrouble
May 20th 2010


5771 Comments


half human half mutant half a speed of rasputin

TBliss
May 20th 2010


987 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I wasnt really name dropping Slipknot, just necessary to tell the story of how I came to become a Immolation. Im not using Slipknot as a basis of comparison or anything. Can I ask whats really wrong with the review? I knew reviewing an Immolation album would be risky on this site haha.

Lunarfall
May 20th 2010


3178 Comments


i cant believe no one reviewed this up until now

good review, you said what needed to be about this album

rasputin
May 20th 2010


14968 Comments


portal swarth is not a good album to recommend with this album


neither is ulcerate, for that matter

FadeToBlack
May 20th 2010


11043 Comments


read through the review again, there's some grammatical errors and repeated words an stuff

TBliss
May 20th 2010


987 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I changed the recommended albums, as it seemed to be quite an issue. Although Im sure these wont be good enough either.

DBlitz
May 20th 2010


1693 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

why obscura?

TheSpirit
Emeritus
May 20th 2010


30304 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Good review



Immolations sound had a bleak and sinister intensity to it that other bands in the genre simply could not match








Fairly certain this should be Immolation's. Otherwise everything else is pretty much spot on grammar-wise.

TBliss
May 20th 2010


987 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Ha, thanks man, I was looking for the grammatical errors I had been told about...

Cheers for the pos!

FadeToBlack
May 20th 2010


11043 Comments


the new recommended albums are even less suitable than the first lot imo :P

review is fairly short but too the point I pos'd for ya

TBliss
May 20th 2010


987 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Haha, I give up

Thanks for the pos man.

FadeToBlack
May 20th 2010


11043 Comments


yeah its kind of hard to choose cause Immolation don't really sound like any other band. but i would probably go with something like:

Suffocation - Pierced From Within
Incantation - Onward To Golgotha
Gorguts - The Erosion Of Sanity

you could just not recommend any of course ;)

TBliss
May 20th 2010


987 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah, I actually wasnt going to because it so hard to think of suitable bands, but I didnt want to cop out. I should have done really haha.

FadeToBlack
May 20th 2010


11043 Comments


it might just be the drugs, but this is probably my third favourite Immo album, maybe even second

Dryden
May 20th 2010


13585 Comments


album is ruined

rasputin
May 20th 2010


14968 Comments


this is like their 4th best or smth



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