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02.09.17 Jazz Recs?08.18.16 Immolation - LPs Ranked

Immolation - LPs Ranked

I just wanted to make a list in honor of the finest death metal outfit ever. I can't wait to hear their new material!
1Immolation
Close to a World Below

Loud, cacophonous, pummeling, and fervently blasphemous; this album is as good as death metal gets. My favorite record of all time and one I've yet to grow weary of after countless listens. Songs such as Father, You're Not a Father, Put My Hand in the Fire, and Close to a World Below have solidified this band as one of the greatest in the genre. The production is filthy and the atmosphere is so indescribably crushing it's hard to put into writing. This also has my personal favorite vocal performance from Ross. He sounds like an insidious grizzly bear roaring through a haze of smoke and fire. His delivery on Fall From a High place is utterly incredible, especially in the outro section. Rob Vigna also wrote some seriously genius guitar parts for this album. The tapping section of Put My Hand in the Fire blows my mind literally every time I hear it. An incredible band's finest hour, and an album that I highly doubt they'll ever be able to top.
2Immolation
Unholy Cult

Just barely half a step behind CtaWB, this album is pure genius to the core. I love it for all the same reasons as CtaWB. The production is dirty, the lyrics revolve around the same themes and are just as genius as before, and the riffs are still killer. One might even argue that this album is even more creative. Tracks like Rival the Eminent and Reluctant Messiah are among the best and most groundbreaking in their discography, with utterly brilliant tremolo picked riffs and thought-provoking lyrics. The only thing that sets this record back from Close is the guitar tone and the drums, which I think were heavier and better-suited for the band on their previous album. Having said that, this album is a must-own for any fan of death metal, old-school or otherwise!
3Immolation
Dawn of Possession

An incredible debut from a band that was about to rock the world with a plethora of crushing albums. It's a very unique Immolation album in that it sounds far more juvenile, fast, and straightforward than any of their other records. Ross' voice also sounds very unique on this record, because his vocals aren't nearly as deep or guttural as they are on later albums. He delivers this really sinister, almost serpentine, hissing style that I haven't really heard on any other death metal album. It sounds very different from the sequential albums, but it sticks out as a gem in their discography. Songs like Into Everlasting Fire give the listener a very tasty slab of fast and catchy old-school death metal that is sure to please metal fans of all kinds. There are also lots of groovy riffs on tracks like After My Prayers and Internal Decadence. Overall, this album is amazing and I can't recommend it enough!
4Immolation
Failures for Gods

It's so tough for me to pick between this and Dawn of Possession. It honestly goes back and forth quite a bit. I love the pummeling nature of this record and tracks like No Jesus, No Beast stand out as some of the best they're ever recorded. There are also overlooked gems on the back half of this album, specifically Stench of High Heaven which is my personal favorite on this album. I also love this album because it was a transitional phase for the band. This album is the bridge that connected traditional records like Dawn of Possession to insane and unconventionally exquisite albums like Close to a World Below and Unholy Cult. It's a fabulous record, and although it might not be as crushing or memorable as Cult or Close, it's still Immolation. Which, at least in my view, means it's still great!
5Immolation
Majesty and Decay

This is the sound of a band changing with the times in the best way possible. From start to finish, this album pulverizes listeners and reminds us that this band is still kicking ass after all these years. It's one of the best modern death metal albums that I know of and every track is awesome. The production is cleaner, and although it's not as intriguing as Close in my opinion, the genius songwriting of Vigna and Dolan carries this album high above the average run-of-the-mill album. The lyrics also deserve to be noted, because even though I seldom listen to metal for lyrics, these songs in particular are rather potent as we head into an election cycle.
6Immolation
Here in After

On the contrary to the average ratings for this record, it's not my second favorite from the band. That isn't to say it's bad, because I actually adore it, it's just not as punchy or memorable as the aforementioned albums. It's just a personal thing. This album is far more bleak and doomy than anything else they've put out, which is great, but my ears are more attuned to pummeling and brutal styles of death metal. The production is another thing that holds this album back. While Dawn of Possession was kind of tinny and fun in its own way, this album is a bit hollow in that it's hard to latch onto the instruments. The drums are really distant, and while the parts are very well-composed as usual, I definitely prefer the bludgeoning sound you get on albums like Close or even Kingdom of Conspiracy for that matter. The guitar parts on this album are actually better and more complex than they were on Dawn to my ears, but unfortunately I found the tone paired with the drums underwhelming.
7Immolation
Kingdom of Conspiracy

A very straightforward slice of modern death metal. I think this record gets far too much flack on this site. The songwriting on this album is fantastic and tracks such as Kingdom and All That Awaits Us stand out as the best. It's fast, brutal, and relentless from start to finish. The drums definitely stand out on this album and I love the production style they went with. It's clean, but it doesn't feel like they've sacrificed anything stylistically. It may not be as blistering or filthy as CtaWB or Unholy Cult, but those records are immortalized in the archives of death metal for bands like Dead Congregation to rehash to their hearts' content. This is Immolation moving with the times to remain relevant and I'm embracing the change. If their next album resembles this one even in the slightest, I'm definitely gonna enjoy it. Don't be a pleb and pick this album up!
8Immolation
Harnessing Ruin

This album, along with Shadows, is very solid from start to finish. There's definitely nothing bad in either of these albums, but I didn't find them to be especially INCREDIBLE either. If someone were to ask me if I'd wanna chill and listen to either of these records, 9/10 times I'd say yes! I just found certain aspects of this album, like the compressed production style, to be a bit less satisfying than their other releases. While Kingdom is compressed to a certain degree, the snappiness of the snare and the classic guitar tone set it above this album. However, there are really great moments and tracks on this record. One thing that's gotta be noted is Ross' vocals. They're quite loud in the mix on this record and I feel like he really let loose! They seem to be deeper than before which I definitely appreciate and admire the band for. Tracks like Harnessing Ruin showcase this quite well.
9Immolation
Shadows in the Light

My least favorite in their discography. It's still a wonderful death metal endeavor that delivers on all things expected of the band, but it's the manner in which they chose to go about making this album that puts it at the bottom. It has everything I love about the band, but the guitars sound pretty bad in the mix and Ross' vocals just don't have that same guttural flair as they do on other records. Simply put: this album is very good, it's just not as good as the rest. World Agony is still a great song and one of my favorites from the band and Whispering Death is a deliciously ominous closer.
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