Review Summary: This is long-form dissonance that splays the listener wide open and pours salt on the gaping, weeping, old Immo-wounds across 15 anti-hymns spanning 52 minutes.
Immolation have been driving jagged nails into Christianity’s pedophile-riddled coffin for decades now. But while that evil organisition of religious hypocrites might be as low-hanging a fruit as the forbidden apple in the Adam and Eve fable—and has clearly done more damage to itself through its closeted perversity than any black or death metal band could ever muster against it— you got to respect Immolation for the tireless focus on acts of church-defined “blasphemy”.
What’s even more remarkable for a band centred on bashing Christ into oblivion, however, is how ordinary and jovial this band’s members—founders Robert Vigna (guitars) and Ross Dolan (bass, vocals), and Steve Shalaty (on drums since 2003) and Alex Bouke (on guitars since 2016)—appear in the flesh. And also, how at odds their miasmic, soul-sucking sound, instrumental prowess and impervious ability to maintain the unique style of death metal they’ve created and subsequently perfected since forming in the late 1980s are with the many tales of their genuine humanistic generosity bestowed upon other bands and fans alike. Surely, nice guys shouldn’t sound like vengeful demonic entities have possessed their bodies to consistently dole out Book of Revelations-styled mayhem!
Immolation have never written a bad record. This is readily apparent to anyone who has spent time inverted and completely disorientated in their wildly discordant and hellfire-charred discography. Instead, what we have across now-11 studio albums, are LPs that were either received rapturously or mutely welcomed in an expected fashion based on death metal’s popularity (or the lack thereof) at the time of release, and/or how much death metal fans were appreciating Immolation’s stature or simply taking this creative monstrosity for granted. 1991’s Dawn of Possession debut blew the tits off the scene, sure, but there’s not much difference—musically, thematically or aesthetically—between that game-changer and, say, 2005’s Harnessing Ruin; the high quality of the music was, and is, maintained regardless of trends.
This point was proven with the near-universal acclaim 2017’s Atonement received. By that year, death metal was truly swinging harder than a noose with a twitching body attached following not only Carcass’ incredible Surgical Steel comeback in 2013 and the powerful return of Gorguts with Colored Sands the same year, but also the death metal scene revitalisation further stirred by Horrendous’ Anareta LP and Blood Incantation’s seismic debut, Starspawn, respectively released in 2015 and 2016. The furore around those four DM releases—and many others at the time—set the stage for a legendary act like Immolation to reap its well-overdue rewards.
Of course, it also helped that Atonement was composed from front to back of imperial tracks, some of the best, most memorable in the Immolation canon. And as expected, Acts of God is nowhere close to a diminishing return. In fact it’s quite the opposite; this is long-form dissonance that splays the listener wide open and pours salt on the gaping, weeping, old Immo-wounds across 15 anti-hymns spanning 52 minutes.
“An Act of God” arrives like a sudden plague upon your houses after the scene-setting instrumental “Abandoned”; its warped, hellish riffs from the peerless Vigna cutting through Shataly’s double-bass detonations and orated by Dolan’s abyss-summoned bellows. The way Immolation pace such brutality, knowing just the right time to pair back, adds a sense of foreboding that tethers on the verge of hysteria to individual movements. The imposing death-groove that emerges at the end of “The Age of No Light” carries its torch through to the evocatively titled “Noose of Thorns”, which begins in similar similar style before blasts and a series of vertiginous riffs cast the listener into a free-fall towards its frenzied solo.
Such aural destruction is synonymous with this band, yet it’s impressive how Immolation constantly make what is on script a rather stylistically limiting sound, appear so powerful, vital, oppressive—just bear witness to how “Shed the Light”, “Blooded” or the churning agony of “Overtures of the Wicked” are concisely defined. This succinctness is attributable to songwriting acumen and shared chemistry, as each seasoned player knows exactly how what works within the context of such world-burning death metal. And in less skilled hands there might be a drag mid-album when it comes to a 15-track affair. As alluded to, this is not the case with Acts of God as the run into “Immoral Stain” is relentless, and the brief introductory coda to this Christ-crusher is the only respite afforded—the juxtaposition between its beginning and brain-mangling end is startling.
To be able to cram so much character, drama and intensity into tracks that barely cross the three-minute threshold—as heard on “Broken Prey” and “When Halos Burn” during the album’s closing quarter—is the main reason Acts of God flits past in what seems like half the run-time. It’s only when the second brief instrumental, “And the Flames Wept”, allows you a moment to consider what has been created here that you get to fully marvel at how Immolation are at the top of their game in 2022. As finale “Apostle” whips, contorts and slams, there’s no doubt remaining that this four-piece currently sit at the head of the DM scene, with most of the old-guard and new-blood out of their reach.
