Customer Reviews

Decimate Christendom

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Incantation are, by far, one of the hardest working death metal bands in existence. Enduring nearly a decade of near-cult obscurity and legendary lineup changes, Incantation founder/frontman John McEntee found relative stability after Incantation's initial four releases (Onward to Golgotha, Mortal Throne of the Nazarene, Upon the Throne of the Apocalypse, and The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish) with Diabolical Conquest. It was here that Incantation fully arrived in the hearts and minds of deathheads the world over, and established an even more rabid fanbase with the relentless touring that followed. Subsequent releases The Infernal Storm and Blasphemy solidified Incantation's place among its peers. Now, in 2004, we see Incantation (John McEntee - guitar/vocals, Joe Lombard - bass, and Kyle Severn - drums) taking some of the boldest steps in their career with Decimate Christendom.

Decimate Christendom was recorded at Bill Korecky's Mars Recording Compound in Cleveland, Ohio. Korecky clearly has Incantation's sound captured perfectly, as each successive recording they release from that studio sounds better and better (it's no wonder John won't record anywhere else). This is a very thick, yet clean and crisp, recording. Nothing is lost in the production whatsoever. The songwriting is dynamic and tight, an Incantation trademark. Lyric writing is slightly more evenly distributed amongst the band this time, to great effect. John's vocals leave nothing to be desired, as he is able to emulate the best moments of former vocalists Craig Pillard, Dan Corchado , and Mike Saez (and then some) at once. The packaging is top notch, with great artwork by Miran Kim. The back cover has a fine group photo of the guys, and, and I can't publish this without making public my jealousy of John's Sinister long sleeve (I have "Diabolical Summoning" tattooed, but I still want the shirt, dangit!). *clears throat* Overall, the band sounds rejuvenated, and ready to conquer!

The first track is, of course, "Decimate Christendom". This title track is the one that Incantation posted on their website to show off the "new" sound of Incantation with John's vocals. "Decimate Christendom" harkens to a mix of "Impending Diabolical Conquest" and "Blasphemy" from earlier efforts, especially at the breakdown from 1:02-2:06. The doom that follows up 2:37 until is classic old-school Incantation. Kyle is in fine form all the way through this one. "Dying Divinity" is the first new track proper, as most of us had heard the title track repeatedly prior to the CD's release. There's almost a grind feeling in the bridge/chorus (0:59-1:27), where John shows his old-school roots. At 1:59, we hear the standard Incantation windmill riffage. "Oath of Armageddon" starts off meaty and midpaced, at times, reminding this writer of Kyle and John's other project, Funerus. At 1:44, there's a great bridge into the dirge of a sludgy fast part. This has got to be one of most moshable Incantation songs in history. I love the way the end riff morphs at 4:19, and back at 4:44. "Blaspheme the Sacraments", number four, starts off blazing, the seeming antithesis of the previous track. 0:12-0:22 represents one of the most memorable and melodic riffs on the disc. At 3:11, Kyle pummels the drumkit with a jackhammer rhythm that will surely get kids moving on the road. 4:18 presents a major surprise of a bridge, spiraling down in to the void at 4:35. One last thing about this song: It represents the still aggressive nature of the band, proof that they are not just going through the motions on this one. "Merciless Tyranny" starts off with an awkward old school cruiser riff, a la Massacre. At 1:49, Incantation go grind on me again, and bring some unexpected ultra-technical syncopation from 1:58-2:26. Number six (66) is "Horns of Eradication". A slow-to-mid paced tune, this one gets the doom rolling. John & company do not disappoint, and pull some classic Incantation dirge from 1:06-1:43. At 3:32, we get a dissonant treat of a break, wrapping up this one. Next up is "Unholy Empowerment Of Righteous Deprivation" (it just figures that the title of the shortest track on the disc requires an entire breath just to say... but, hey, it's Incantation). The continuation of the dissonant, hollow echo from the end of "Horns of Eradication" leads us directly into "Thorns of Everlasting Persecution". This song most reminds of the finer moments of Blasphemy (0:16-0:29). At 0:51, the song breaks into a stomping riff, only to crash down into doom territory at 1:13. We get the stomp back at 1:35, right up until 1:53, where things slow down again. Most of this song is devoid of vocals, leaving the music room to breathe. It seems that John finally has the vocal style he's wanted all these years (sometimes you have to do it yourself, you know? Power to him.). Number nine brings us to "No Paradise Awaits". This song is the most faithful to the older Incantation sound (0:39-1:17). This is easily one of the top three best songs on the disc. At 1:55, some of the updated Incantation riffage makes a brief appearance until 2:26. From 2:36-2:54, Incantation busts out one of the coolest passages this side of Diabolical Conquest. At 3:56, the boys lead back into a midpaced riff, and then speed it up as only they can. Suddenly the song stops, leaving only Joe's ominous bass sound to express itself, blending seamlessly into "Eternal Darkness Under Conquered Skies". This reprise of "No Paradise Awaits" serves as a great lead-in to the final track, "Feeble Existence". As "Feeble Existence" fades in, Joe's bass takes over the wheel until 0:42, when things come to a near standstill of doom. Out of nowhere, at 1:03, Incantation shows off their ability to mood swing a death metal song like a morphine addict in withdrawal. The Evil Chuck tribute from 1:48-2:10 is by far my favorite riff on the disc (Ok, it sounds more like the refrain from "Blasphemy" than it does any of Schuldiner's early works, but I can tell influence when I hear it, dangit!). We are brought back to Incantation trademark windmills at 3:06, leading back to that riff (3:28-3:39). Suddenly, all stops for a split second, and we are brought into a maelstrom of an Incantation march riff, taking us straight to war (3:40-4:36). From 4:37 until the end of the song, I hear something I am not sure I have ever heard on an Incantation CD, ever- a noise solo! Wow.

Decimate Christendom is a triumph for Incantation. They have lost none of their drive, passion, or ferocity. They sure as heck aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so you might as well come along for the ride. Of course, the only way to experience Incantation is live, so, get out there and support these death metal kings!

Decimate Christendom: A brutal, musical call for action and a declaration of war against the bible thumping morons that infest this world. This album is by far the cleanest Incantation album I've ever heard. The distortion is toned down considerably and the drumming is all real (no triggers). Not only is the music cleaner and more discernable, but they drive the grooves into the ground much like their infernal brothers Immolation. The music oscillates between slow, old school crunch and breakneck speed. If you're a serious fan of Satanic Death Metal, and you might be having second thoughts about attending church, pop this one into the box to help strengthen your resolve. RAISE THE HORNS!!

Incantation have always been like the possessed son of Immolation to me. This band has come a long way from the Golgotha days. This album had the same kind of feel to it as Infernal Storm. I think the songs were better though. Merciless Tyranny is proof that these guys are growing more into the technical realm of Death Metal. Not technical like Cryptopsy or Nile. Not that extreme. But with the doom soaked riffs these guys can lay down right in the middle of a fast tune and still make it all come out killer in the end ... man, they just really progressed. Still sound evil as hell, killer tunes to light one up to, easy 5 stars for Incantation on this one. If you liked Infernal Storm, grab this!

On Incantation's sixth full length release, these guys bring together everything that they are known for, blasphemous brutal death metal with doomy, twisted passages. I agree with the first reviewer that stated that this is the cleanest Incantation cd production wise, and actually, it works...it's kind of raw but toned down at the same time, and it sounds great! John's vokills are actually excellent in my opinion...they fit perfectly with this cd...I was wondering how this was going to sound with John doing vokills b/c the only thing that I had heard him do previously was vokills on a video clip that Incantation had on their website, it was a video clip from a tour in Mexico, and they played Rotting With Your Christ and it sounded great! He does some twisted sounding growls and his vokills just exceeded my expectations...Kyle's drumming is awesome as usual, he has lots of killer double bass work and lots of awesome drum rolls and china crashes...Joe's bass lines are as evil as ever, and once again they go perfectly with the music much like they do on Blasphemy. And, once again, we have the classic Incantation song names such as Horns Of Eradication, Blaspheme The Sacraments, and Kyle wrote the lyrics to one of my favorite songs No Paradise Awaits...all in all this is another killer, classic Incantation cd. This is why I have these guys tattooed on my arm! Decimate Christendom indeed, Eradicate all the plastic jesus culture!

Why would you even listen to this if you didn't enjoy the lyrics? it's called DEATH metal, not fairy unicorn metal...i for one don't practice any type of religion, but i love the lyrics about destroying christ-stain-ism, and if you are wondering why the lyrics are like this on every Incantation cd, then you don't know what Incantation is all about...here in plastic jesus amerikkka, christ-stain-ism is shoved down your throat everytime you step outside, at least here in baptist central, and once again it's called DEATH metal, not emo-fairy-unicorn metal...

I've NEVER been an incantation fan until i heard this, in fact if you asked me what i thought of them 3 months ago i would have told you that they sucked, but thats behind us now so without further hesitation i will get onto the review:



decimate chritstendom is filled with brutal droning riffs and lightning fast blast beats amongst guttural vocals that sound as if they were recorded underwater or something like that, i always had a gripe with these guys for doing piss-poor production and sound quality, and this album is no different. But in a way the sound fits the harshness and rawness of the bands performane on a side note, if you listen carefully you can detect screw ups here and there that the band make. It is very hipocritical on my part to immediately dismiss anything these guys put out because a friend told me that this cd sounds like Blasphemy so i will check that out too. The songs on here are powerful and full of conviction, the other thing you have to get used to is the doom sections. If you're like me then you definately enjoy groove here and there and this album serves it up in spades, the doom sections also add a fullness and dynamic effect that i like to hear in death metal. This album rips and if you hate incantation, then take a listen to this...it might change your opinion of them.

Incantation continues its unholy war towards christianity and the weak by unleashing a storm of death metal mayhem in the form of their latest, and I gotta say I am very impressed with this effort. Incantation's past releases never really caught my attention. Aside from a few songs, I found their records to be pretty much sterile and forgettable. With "Decimate Christendom" I find that they have created the perfect balance between all out intensity, remarkable hooks and a concise, tactful approach to songwriting. Many of their distinctive characteristics are still present, like their usual decelarating song climaxes and their signature familiar razor sharp riffs. Competitive and challenging without being too technical, this is a record that instantly grabs you and doesn't let you go. Many times I found myself appreciating a killer moment and before grasping for air another memorable element kicked in. It's records like this that make me appreciate death metal for what it truly is. I feel that Incantation has produced a record suitable for our times and while opinions may vary, I think this unit has only gotten stronger and more professional with their music.

So, another basic death metal album from Incantation. This time John McIntee takes on the vocals, and to be honest, I wish he didnt. He's not too bad, but Mike Saez & Craig Pillard mixed so much better with Incantations music. The music is pretty much what you would expect from Incantation; some pretty cool riffs, mixed in with some really bad ones. I really enjoyed the previous album, Blasphemy, and I was hoping they would follow it up with something as good, but they didnt.

And hey, the artwork is appears to be based on the same concept as Diabolical Conquest. Makes you wonder if they ran out of ideas both musically and visually.

I really miss the old sound that Incantation had from Onward to Golgotha up through The Forsaken Morning Of Angelic Anguish.

As for the musical corner of Decimate Christendom, my special friend, who unfortunately arrived here before me, made an accurate summation. Yes, if you're an ignorant religious-bashing neanderthal, you may appreciate this album as you stew in your own drooling imbecility.

But, if there's a chance you want to listen to the album for its blistering riffage, technique, and musical brutality, then I reccomend the purchase. Incantation deliver as per usual, such as the previous reviewer stated, but clean up the sound quite a bit. The sound is a lot less distorted and shows the band's talent miraculously emerge from under the rock of sh**ty production techniques. Musically, this is a great album. The riffs are well-placed and structured, and are not very simplistic, albiet far from complicated or impossible. And the album is extremely groove-a-liscious. But this is what you expect from Incantation. As you would also expect, lyrically, the continual regression with which this band masks itslef marks a new low for this album, possessing the same sub-retardation as usual. Even if I was a satanist...

...anyone with half a fart left in his/her body could gas out this doo-doo. I guess repetition is what killed the (smart) listener and also kept the ('tard) listener coming back for more. Luckily I can't understand the words, so I can choose not to taint my evolution as a thinking human being, by opening the album booklet.

Ehhh. Enough ranting. DC has fast, typical death metal riffs and blast beats, but also slows the tempo down and gets groove bangin'. Sum up: Musically it's what you expect, but still new enough to keep it interesting; lyrically...meh.

Enjoy.