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Review Summary: Deserving of all the hype, Immolation's magnum opus weaves a complex tapestry of off-kilter riffing, phenomenal drumming, and intricate song structures For many, 2000's 'Close To A World Below' represents the absolute pinnacle of creativity from the New York-based death metal icons Immolation. Its dissonant brilliance is seen to represent a perfection of the sound they pioneered on classic earlier albums such as 'Here In After,' whilst the sharper production helps the exquisite selection of riffs and beats shine all the brighter amidst an ever-growing scene of similar acts. There are even those who would go so far as to list this album as the greatest death metal record ever made, hewn into the same Mt. Rushmore of the genre as 'Symbolic' and 'None So Vile.' For an album to live up to this level of hype is almost impossible, and yet 'Close To A World Below' succeeds on every level.
"Higher Coward" stands out as a perfect example of how to establish expectations with an opening track. Beginning with a crackling sound and a spoken question, it fades to silence, before exploding into life with a riff absolutely typical of Immolation. The way this first riff blends the raging speed with its off-kilter one-two punch ending each cycle is fascinating, and demands the attention of the listener instantly. Continuing the legacy created in their earlier records, "Higher Coward" takes its audience on a journey through wildly differing tempo changes, a prolonged mid-paced section containing some unsettling higher pitched tremolo picking and bombastic drumming bought to the forefront by exquisite production, and a finger-shredding guitar solo that sounds so at home among the other instruments. Indeed, within those first almost-five minutes it becomes painstakingly clear that this album is not one for a casual listen, but rather one to be absorbed and become immersed within.
A fan favorite song continues this aural assault. It cannot be overstated just how impactful "Father, You're Not A Father" can be on a first listen. The oh-so-recognizable pinched harmonic riff that launches, out of nowhere, into an unhinged blast beat accompanied by vocals straight from the depths of Hell, courtesy of Ross Dolan. Even more impressive, however, is the way that the song calms down for a moment following this section, building back up to a shredded solo that effortlessly melds into a repeated verse riff and some more blasphemous brilliance from Ross. The harmonics are put to great effect again in "Furthest From The Truth," whilst "Fall From A High Place" opens with a complexity that feels on the brink of derailing the album, yet never does. Immolation are a band capable of instrumental dexterity that bewilders, balancing different instruments against one another with a knack for bridging those more crazy sections with catchier ones to keep the album feeling focussed, such as the titular words used in the song "Unpardonable Sin."
Never a band to reveal every trick in their book immediately, Immolation save one of their finest songs for the end of this album. The title track spans eight minutes, and this time is dedicated to some of the most engaging riffs in their discography. Taking a while to build up with an adapting and winding instrumental passage that centers around one amazing motif, the band creates a wondrous atmosphere, before the verse knocks the breath out of your lungs. The chorus is one to chant along to, backed by a riff as off-kilter as it is etched into my memory. As the song progresses, it showcases different tempos and moods, from the catchy "a world..." section, to the ensuing, crushing brutality of the blast beats backed by the words "bastard son." These eight minutes are almost impossible to top as a conclusion to an album.
Immolation really did knock it out of the park with this one. Every song is a bona fide classic of the genre, hitting heights that previously scarcely seemed possible, whilst maintaining a striking consistency. Every track here is of exceptional quality, each one offering something different from the rest, and yet all of them adding to the musical tapestry being weaved by these masters of their craft. Hats off to the band, they created a masterpiece.
| other reviews of this album |
masscows (5)
Dark, twisted, crushing…this is what it’s all about....
Andy H. B. (5)
Immolation creates a violent, swirling tornado of petrifying vocals and maniacal instrumentals that ...
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Album Rating: 5.0
Cheers Pika.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
*pizza. Fuckin hell i see pikazilla on the newest comments thing and you, and get your mixed up
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
I would LOVE to have access to see who has been repeatedly ghost negging my reviews though. Literally they go up and half a minute later theyre negged everytime without fail. Jom reckons he checked and they were all unique non alt accounts but that doesn't mean they aint troll votes. I don't hugely care anymore, i'm just curious. Because there is no way this review deserves (at the moment) 2/4. Like, I don't doubt that Jom did actually check and was honest about it, but I distinctly recall the days where people got banned for a few days for repeatedly negging the same person without genuine cause. Like, I get the site is a different place these days, and also pretty dead by comparison to those days, but I can guarantee if I called somebody a slur i'd be instabanned permanently on this account, comments and reviews wiped within an hour. It's one rule for me and another for everyone else. Rant over.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
"Negs don’t really matter, it means nothing if people don’t explain why they negged. "
It isn't so much the negs, it's the lack of any real mod action, and no response usually when I ask. It feels like they're leaving em to it so I eventually snap so they can ban me from the site again. It ain't gonna work, it's just (and this sounds so juvenile but also true) ridiculously unfair at times. The double standards are nuts. But again, I ain't THAT bothered either way, I just notice it occasionally, and I know for sure that this review is better than at least half of those on the front page currently, yet the same ghost negging doesn't happen there.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
"It feels like they're leaving em to it so I eventually snap so they can ban me from the site again."
Gee, I wonder why
Is it because you've been doing the same song and dance with each new alt you create?
How about the fact that you constantly spam comments to the point that the front page is just you and nobody else?
Not to mention the constant spamming of reviews that push other people's reviews off the front page
And then there's the sucking up about trying to be promoted after all that, as well as constantly harassing the mods about getting your revs featured
No offense, but you've just been obnoxious as hell ever since you came back
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Okay, only reply i'll give so as not to be drawn into an argument
Koris
"Is it because you've been doing the same song and dance with each new alt you create?" - Um nope usually they're banned within 2 weeks. This has lasted 6 months. So wrong on that point.
"How about the fact that you constantly spam comments to the point that the front page is just you and nobody else?" - 20 ish comments in the last 24 hours. Clearly not spamming, 1,000 in six months again. Wrong on that point also.
"Not to mention the constant spamming of reviews that push other people's reviews off the front page" - One review per day is the rule, i often go multiple days without posting. There are currently either 2 or 3 other users on the front page with the same number as me (2) or more, yet I don't see the same bullshit there. So that's a hat trick, wrong on that point..
"And then there's the sucking up about trying to be promoted after all that, as well as constantly harassing the mods about getting your revs featured" - Asked once about that, whether it was a possibility or not, and got the answer I wanted. No sucking up at all. And I've asked twice for a feature (something that, again in the same period, more than just myself have done, and is generally a pretty frequent thing to see). In fact, go back through the last 20 pages of the med thread, and you'll see the same behaviour from most actively reviewing users (as there aren't all that many of use anymore because the site is essentially dead compared to a number of years ago). So ANOTHER wrong point there!
(1/2)
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
"
No offense, but you've just been obnoxious as hell ever since you came back" - Obnoxious is a word that is directly interpersonal. Nothing you said there is an interpersonal interaction other than those regarding the mods (interactions of which do not affect you nor have anything to do with you anyway). So another point youre flat out wrong on, and probably need a dictionary more than a computer at this rate.
So, to summarise Koris, you're wrong on every point.
Onto Johnny
"
I neg'd this review
would you like to know why
or would you like to continue your stint as the most vocal shadowboxer on the aspirational freelance shitpost circuit"
Yeah I would like to know why, and I don't shadowbox, i'm actually about everything I say. Same person online as offline. But seriously I would like to know why.
That's the one response people are getting, tldr: Koris was wrong on every single point (factually so as well, not just based on opinion), and Johnny should elaborate further.
(2/2)
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
as long as skele is here, deviant seems to leave me alone at least
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
"
as long as skele is here, deviant seems to leave me alone at least"
Whatever happened to Dev anyway, I asked someone the other day and didn't see any reply
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Freakmachine's got a point, i don't believe he is an alt
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
prolly makin dubstep in his basement i guess
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
I pos'd
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
"Freakmachine's got a point, i don't believe he is an alt
"
Im not an alt this is my main. My older main account was banned for good reason.
Also, 4 new negs in - literally - 16 seconds. Yes, somebody is indeed troll negging with alts, whatever Jom says.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
sorry thats happening man
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
"Im not an alt this is my main."
isnt that what i just said i believed?
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Yeah I aint giving it anymore time now, I've said me bit. Its funny how the second those negs appeared, most me early reviews and the ones with 100% pos suddenly got 1 or 2 negs added, I'd be willing to bet it was one of the couple of people who just commented but whatever. I'm done bitching about it now, the people doing it are literally pathetic. Nothing better to do with their time, and that's fine because it's their time to waste :D Imma just grind Tombs of Amascut and jam Unholy Cult.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
You do you, and don't let anyone stop you 
[just be careful with mods]
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people neg your reviews because they are just fluff pieces where you gush about certain aspects of the music without describing why it is great. this review is 5 paragraphs long and tells me nothing about the album or band's message, growth, or musical significance. there is no evidence of a more structured and nuanced analysis of the music in general.
inb4 "reviews are subjective" - yeah but you have to actually put effort into breaking down the music. you're just throwing a 5 on an album and saying why YOU like it, but not really doing anything to describe why others should go out and listen to it. you squeeze as many hyperboles as you can in while making no attempt to draw comparisons or introduce any reference point to readers who may not have even heard the band before. not to mention you constantly post reviews with spelling and grammatical errors showing that there is no proofreading involved, further reducing the impact of what you write.
this is all separate from your sus comment etiquette
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also you say "im done bitching about negs" over and over but still continue to complain in the comments of every thread you’re involved in
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Who reads reviews on here anyway. This vult kid is a just a nerd that gets way to into reviews online lol
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