Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith...yep, certainly a mouthful, but then again, black metal act Inquisition have never been known for short album titles, and this latest is no exception. Comprised of just Dagon (guitars, vocals) and Incubus (drums), Inquisition are perhaps the most potent duo in all of metal, the thundering presentation of their music almost incomprehensible considering it's just guitar, vocals, and drums. On this latest release for Season of Mist, the band once again have delivered a stunning set of bombastic, brutal, and technical black metal, Incubus' blast beats frantically rampaging under a wealth of crushing, complex riffery courtesy of Dagon, with the guitarist's trademark croak providing the cold vocal treatment. His robotic delivery initially will be a love it or hate it type of thing, but what's so great about his style is that you can clearly understand everything he is saying, as odd as his delivery may sound when you first listen to these guys. The cascading riffs are just relentless here, punishing the listener on "Wings of Anu" and "From Chaos They Came", brutalizing like an out of control barbaric army on "Vortex From The Celestial Flying Throne Of Storms", and digging deep with classic extreme metal ferocity on the mid paced "A Black Aeon Shall Cleanse". Though there is a lot to digest here, the band never let up for one second, rampaging through a brutal "Mystical Blood", the manic yet melodic "Through The Divine Spirit Of Satan A Glorious Universe Is Known", and the highly textured, somewhat symphonic instrumental title cut, a perfect slice of progressive black metal. There's even some black 'n' roll here (it's as if the band have been listening to a lot of Motorhead lately) as on "Power From The Center Of The Cosmic Black Spiral" and "The Flames Of Infinite Blackness Before Creation", but for the most part, expect trademark Inquisition, chock full of inventive riffing and brutal blasting, as on the soon to be classic "A Magnificent Crypt Of Stars".
Once again I must mention that there's no other band in metal that can create the wall of sound with just two people quite like Inquisition. While yes, in the studio you can basically do anything these days, but go and see these guys live and experience something like you've never seen before, ever. Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith is another winner from the duo, a masterful set of pummeling, textured, technical black metal that is as unique as it brutal.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1. Intro: The Force Before Darkness
2. From Chaos They Came
3. Wings Of Anu
4. Vortex From The Celestial Flying Throne Of Storms
5. A Black Aeon Shall Cleanse
6. The Flames Of Infinite Blackness Before Creation
7. Mystical Blood
8. Through The Divine Spirit Of Satan A Glorious Universe Is Known
9. Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith
10. Power From The Center Of The Cosmic Black Spiral
11. A Magnificent Crypt Of Stars
12. Outro: The Invocation Of The Absolute, The All, The Satan
13. Coda: Hymn To The Cosmic Zenith
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