Immolation "Harnessing Ruin" (Olympic)
By Tim Den
Monday. Jun 06, 3:32 AM
Trend-setting, envelope-pushing band hit their peak.

After 17 years together, helping to develop one of death metal’s best subgenres (the New York style), and consistently churning out uniquely skewed albums, I (a long time fan) pretty much expected Harnessing Ruin to be the same ol’ Immolation: no sonic equal within their peer group, broodingly creepy, and sinisterly brutal. And it is all that… but it’s also (dare I say) the best album of the band’s history. I know, I know, you’re all yelling “what about Dawn of Possession!?” But let me assure you that Harnessing Ruin really is the pinnacle of this trend-setting, envelope-pushing band. It is every element of the Immolation sound refined to a diamond’s edge: perfection. It is visceral yet soulful; torturous yet emotional. Immolation have never sounded so good at being Immolation.

Ever since Dawn of Possession raped ears everywhere, Immolation have never stopped chasing their own identity. Even with a five year lapse between said debut and follow-up Here in After, soul-searching was evident in the compositions… atmosphere and subconscious moodiness were being considered more and more, as deranged minor melodies dangled from meat hook riffs. And though the band’s last effort (‘02’s Unholy Cult) was the first sign of weakness in Immolation’s entire catalog, Harnessing Ruin makes up for it by being more playful, inventive, rewarding, catchy, and memorable than anything the band has ever done. There is a balance between dissonance and accessibility in the riffs, as the two guitarists sandwich well-arranged 4ths in their skin-crawling conjurings. Bassist/vocalist Ross Dolan has ascended to the pantheon occupied by the likes of Jeff Walker and David Vincent in terms of brutality and clarity: his vocal work is intimidating yet decipherable; a mélange of doomsday visions and demonic curses. New drummer Steve Shalaty defies current death metal trend by opting out of triggered drums, turning in instead an organic sounding performance that serves as the guiding light in the music’s maze of torment. Seriously, even the drum patterns are catchy (in a hellish way, of course).

What’s truly amazing is that, after a career of putting the pursuit of uniqueness ahead of “accessibility,” Immolation have accomplished both on Harnessing Ruin. Long revered for having one of the most distinct songwriting approaches in the genre, Immolation have achieved both early Deicide’s catchiness and Godflesh’s unearthly vibe without sounding the least bit like either. Harnessing Ruin is flesh-tearing and spirit-haunting in ways that only Immolation can make you feel. Bravo for these veterans.
www.everlastingfire.com
www.olympicrecordings.com

Tim Den

Got something constructive to say? By all means, rant away. Gonna blab about something unrelated and/or talk shit? Don't expect your comment to stick around.