Incantation – Dirges of Elysium | Review

What mere mortal can articulate Incantation's mojo? I can't claim to fully fathom their might, and I most certainly cannot conjure adequate words to describe their masterful discography. As always, their music pits shambling disintegration against putrescent precision and blasting.

On Dirges of Elysium, Incantation ratchet up the doom elements of their ethos, hitting the brakes and summoning pleasant whiffs of Mortal Throne of Nazarene. Satisfying, sinister melodies slither over cadences that both plod and pummel. Such dirge; I approve.

Good death metal is made of moments of indelible madness. Incantation have spent years crafting such abominable abandon, and Dirges of Elysium brings many more of these moments into being. The album features some massive, impossibly alluring grooves that erupt from the mire to induce obeisance; heads will bang. I caught a couple of these songs live at Maryland Deathfest, and they stood up well to the enduring pillars of the band’s back catalog.

Although I've heard many folks pleading to the contrary, I prefer Dirges of Elysium to its predecessor, Vanquish in Vengeance. The production here is a bit fuller, and the sheer weight of these tectonic heavings casts blastbeaten passages in the light of dynamic clarity. Incantation have once again tilled the wretched depths to unearth rapturous annihilation. I’m convinced they can mine superior death until the end of days.

Atanamar Sunyata

Band info: www.incantation.com
Label info: www.listenable.net

Atanamar Sunyata is a software engineer by trade and a herder of cats by calling. He lives in Peekskill, NY, with his wife and three man cats. When the inspiration strikes, Atanamar spouts metal hyperbole for Scratch the Surface, Metal Bandcamp, and his own blog, sunyata – mindful of metal. You can also find him on Twitter @AtanamarSunyata and Facebook.