Inquisition - Nefarious Dismal Orations
March 22 2008 at 01:11:46 AM
Inquisition's vocalist/guitarist Dagon derives his stage name from the older Semitic god, but his trembling and ensorcelling speech resembles quite another. As the creaking maw attached to perhaps the most unique Black Metal duo currently from the Americas (partnered with drummer, Incubus, the band formed in Columbia, 1988 as a serviceable but late-coming thrash metal band and currently reside in the US), Dagon coldly echoes the album’s concept and title; he is like the demon Baal, half-man, half-toad, filling the night's forests and bogs with wicked mutterings. And through the warlike pulse and drugged march of these nine tracks, his words maintain a frightening and indifferent monotone, an understated stylization of some ancient or decrepit script which icily commands: Annihilate, Exterminate.
Nefarious Dismal Orations is a welcome improvement over the 2004’s grandly titled, Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer, which was crippled by pallid writing, too ruddy production and one abortive attempt at ambient free-instrumentation. It is not significantly different from their past material, but subtle touches (and clearer mix) add greatly to its overall effect. In some ways Inquisition sound more like a Heavy Metal band than they do Black Metal, though their balanced repetition underlines the latter's veiled ambient sensibilities. Their modern style of drum blasts (perhaps the one fault on hand is that the bass drum is so disguised in the background it sound like a wet rubber flap) chase after a shrinking assembly of power chords split by waves of higher-note slash strokes that wipe over the discharge with vicious accents and disarming melodies that heighten both somnambulant shrugs and fist-raising power. Sparse, smart use of the tremolo bar along with bell chimes helps maintain the eerie presence and heinous calm that has become their trade.
[Todd DePalma]
Inquisition
Nefarious Dismal Orations
2007
No Colours
http://www.no-colours-records.de
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