Immolation is back with another face-ripping, ball-tearing album, and I’m here to let you know all about the darkness that dwells within it.
Prepare for your… Descent.
Descent delves deep into the darkness Immolation does so well. Their sound is tight, terrorising, and transformational, taking the listener, in this case, me, on a ride to hell and back. Heavy, perhaps heavier than Immolation’s previous 11 full-length albums, countless EPs, and a number of split releases, Descent is a pummelling paradigm of power and precocity.
Helmed by original members Rob Vigna, touted as one of the best death metal guitarists in the world, on guitar, and Ross Dolan rocking the low end on bass while also growling out the vocals, Immolation remain a force of nature. Alongside the 40-year legends is longtime drummer Steve Shalaty, putting on an absolute clinic behind the kit, emphatically entrancing in such a way that I couldn’t stop listening to Descent once I started. Finally, 10-year veteran Alex Bouks takes the lead guitar to another level, electrifying and punishing.
There is nothing on this album not to like.
The hooks… hypnotic.
The percussion… perfection.
The song structure… superb.
The ferocity of Descent cannot be understated.
Some bands, after 40 years, lose their edge. God knows I’ve heard my fair share. But Descent is the polar opposite of that. Like a freshly sharpened battle-axe, the legends from Immolation pump out banger after absolute banger on Descent, their 12th full-length album and first since 2022.
They live in a rare place where method and madness can coexist in total harmony with each other — and fuck me, do they mix well.
Now, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the cover art of Descent. The brilliant cover artist Eliran Kantor is a fucking genius. If you don’t know his work, I encourage you to seek it out ASAP. His art is prolific throughout the metal world, having worked with bands like Testament, Despised Icon, Thy Art Is Murder, Soulfly, Helloween, and Kreator, just to name a few. His artwork brings the music to life on every cover he’s created, and Descent is no exception.
Overall, Immolation’s Descent is a neck-snapping, knee-slapping work of art, ready to take New York stalwarts Immolation to yet another high point 40 years into their career, with no signs of stopping for breath.
In short? Fucking brilliant.
Reflections of a world gone wrong.
Powerful in every way.
Order Descent:
https://immolation.bfan.link/descent
IMMOLATION is:
Ross Dolan | Bass / Vocals
Robert Vigna | Guitar
Steve Shalaty | Drums
Alex Bouks | Guitar
Descent Track Listing:
- These Vengeful Winds
- The Ephemeral Curse
- God’s Last Breath
- Adversary
- Attrition
- Bend Towards The Dark
- Host
- False Ascent
- Banished
- Descent
