Album Review : Immolation - Acts of God (2022)
Death metal bands are a dime a dozen nowadays. The genre exploded in popularity in the mid-nineties as some type of cultural boogeyman and death metal musicians in general have been so preoccupied about being labeled as violent, thoughtless troglodytes since then, lots of them forgot to make the music scary and violent. It is not the case for Immolation, an old school New York death metal outfit that has been delivering a very personal and unique brand of sonic brutality for over thirty years now.
Their new album Acts of God delivers exactly that and then some.
When discussing a death metal outfit, the first question you have to ask is: what makes them different from your usual caveman-riffs-and-blast-beats middle of the pack band. Fortunately, the answer to this question is very clear for Immolation: they are brutal, dissonant and they hate god. Holy shit, do these guys hate god. Not in your traditional blasphemous imagery kind of way too. They hate god in the least provocative possible way. They’re just four normal dudes with major pent up aggression. towards organized religion.
Since Immolation’s been delivering blasphemous fury for over thirty years, it would be foolish to believe Acts of God is a reinvention in any way. Veterans like these know better. Acts of God delivers exactly what you’d expect out of an Immolation record with just enough creative leeway not to sound like they’re repeating themselves. A song like Noose of Thorns is a great example of that. It feature a lengthy, atmospheric intro that sets a tone that emotionally anchors the song and makes it memorable.
One problematic that arises every time Immolation is mentioned is that all of their albums get compared to Close To A World Below, which is their gold standard AND pretty much the gold standard for traditional death metal. Acts of God perhaps does not live up to Close To A World Below’s sheer fury, but what it doesn’t have in dissonant, chugging riffs it makes up for in atmospheric guitar riffs and solos and surprising drum fills that break from conventional death metal’s blast-beats-of-death patterns.
I’m dead serious. Steve Shalaty’s drumming has this almost arena rock quality to it. On Incineration Procession (killer song, by the way), Shalaty kicks with that drum fill that is so bold and different that it makes you feel like John Bonham was possessed by Satan or something. But if we’re being a truthful here, lead guitarist Bob Vigna is the star of the show. I mean, everyone’s good. Ross Dolan’s vocals are as terrifying as ever. Alex Bouks plays off Vigna to perfection. But death metal is a guitar-driven sport,
And Immolation’s star player is Vigna.
Bob Vigna might not be the most technical guy, but he’s got a signature sound drenched in power and dissonance. His skill and creativity really take center stage on the second half of Acts of God, on songs like Broken Prey and When Halos Burn. Vigna alternates between catchy, chugging riffs, dissonant harmonics and lets loose in the occasional solo that rises above the song’s structure like smoke over a fire. Not only the man looks like Satan himself, but he plays guitar like he’s been taught by the prince of darkness.
Acts of God might not reinvent death metal, but it delivers atmosphere and emotion that only Immolation can deliver. What makes them such a unique band is that they’re seemingly normal guys are ruthlessly anti-religious and that shows in their music. There’s a sense of brooding resignation in Acts of God that I had quite never heard before. A type of vulnerability in the lengthy intros, the instrumental songs and the contrast between the chugging brutality and the atmospheric guitar fills.
That is new to Immolation’s sound. You can even read it in Ross Dolan’s lyrics. It’s not just tough guy fuck god lyrics. There’s a sense of devastation to Acts of God that I really dug and I thought made it stand out. The song Immortal Stain is a good example of that. It translates this sense that being human is a losing battle waged between imperfect beings and inflexible, otherworldly judges that want to cleanse the world on nonbelievers.
Pawns of Christ dispatch your saints. One by one, until nothing remains is a fucking killer line if I’ve ever read one and it illustrate the purpose of Acts of God well.
I’m sure you can tell already: I really liked Acts of God. It is not quite Close To A World Below, but nothing will ever live up to such a game-changing album and Immolation gingerly craft around their own heritage and explore the possibilities of their own sound with this new record. First half is a little on the conventional side, but the second half offers some of their strongest material. Ultimately, Acts of God lives up to Immolation’s name. It engulfs you and consumes you in the best possible way.
