Customer Reviews

Harnessing Ruin

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is amazing how much growth New York death metal band Immolation shows from release to release, never abandoning their roots. Although each album from them is amazing in its own way, I tend to lean towards their more recent stuff (Close to a World onwards). I think their previous disc, Unholy Cult, set a milestone in their career, emphasising layers of atmosphere to complement their already technically astounding music.

Their new album, Harnessing Ruin, is an amalgamation of the band's previous efforts, only with bigger desolate atmosphere and darker songwriting. The songs are still as chaotic as ever focusing on killer guitar work that pulls at the heart strings. If you've never heard Immolation before, start right here. You'll be amazed at both guitarists' excellent command of melody. Not a single note is played for the sake of impressing anyone; everything is kept within the context of the song. Robert Vigna and Bill Taylor throw the traditional death metal riffing out the window, laying down evil acoustic guitars in the intro of "Dead to Me", unorthodox Egyptian scales on "Challenge the Storm", or simply gripping guitar solos that shred the listener to pieces on tunes such as the title track, "My Own Enemy" or "Crown the Liar". The riffing on this disc is mindblowing throughout; it's mostly based around eerie minor chords, dissonant guitar attacks and evil song structures. Add new drummer Steve Shalaty to the fold; he sounds a tad different the first couple of listens, but each additional spin cements the fact that he is a monster player. His kick drums rule supreme, his polyrhythms are so well-crafted that thousands of others could only dream of, and on top of all, he plays with wonderful restraint, leaving plenty of playing space for vocalist Ross Dolan's prominent bass.

Ross Dolan's brutal death growls are also more atmospheric as well as easier to follow without the booklet in your hands. The lyrics continue to evolve around anti-religion themes. Producer Paul Orofino once again creates a grim wallsound tapestry we've all come to expect from him. The mix is solid as a rock and its intentional murkiness in spots obscures melody, and only repeated listens reveal the inner depths of this release. Don't write it off if doesn't click with you right away; let the music settle in your brain and discover all the elements seamlessly integrated in their sound. This is so far one of the best death metal releases of 2005.

(This review is based on the regular issue of the album. I do not own the version with the bonus disc, nor have I heard the material on it.)

This was my first Immolation CD and it is by far the best heavy metal album that I've heard in a long time. The music is a brilliant combination of dark melodies and intense guitar riffs that grab a hold and never lets up. The lyrics and vocals are intense and brutally effective. Many heavy metal albums do sound like mindless noise. However, this album was well thought out and has a organized, violent sound that makes for an extremely enjoyable listening experience. Highly recommended.

Immolation has become one of my favorite bands over the last few years, and this album was a worthy addition to their catalog. There's a bit more variety in the songs on this one than the last couple. More clean guitars, and a few spoken/whispered type lines among all the growling.

Overall, not as catchy as Failures for Gods, and not as angry as Unholy Cult. But this is good quality DM that has that distinctive 'Immolation' dissonant flavor.

Immolation have once again outdone themselves with their latest effort 'Harnessing Ruin'. I think this album is a little bit more ambient than past releases but still provides that trademark whirlwind Immolation sound we have all come to know and love. I havnt been able to listen to it enough yet to give you a song by song review so I will just leave you with this - IF YOU LIKE IMMOLATION, YOU WILL LOVE THIS ALBUM,

Oh my. This is some seriously intense, dark and brutal death metal from genre legends Immolation. After being impressed with 2000s "Close to a World Below" and even more-so with 2002s excellent "Unholy Cult", I'd been looking forward to this release very much. I'm glad to report that this is as strong as anything the band have ever produced, and certainly one of the best death metal albums of the last few years.

If you've never heard death metal before, this is not the place to start! Immolation's albums at first can be quite overwhelming. There isn't much breathing space here, and the chaotic time-changes and discordant riffery that the band utilize can take some time to make sense of. Add to that the very dark and monstrous visual and audible imagery of Immolation and you've got an extreme listen. But believe me, once you give them some time, you soon begin to realise the creative genius these Americans have at their disposal. For those of you that have experience with death metal, Immolation lie somewhere in the league of Morbid Angel and the bizarre brilliance of Gorguts.

The band made a conscious decision to not over-produce "Harnessing Ruin" and have tried to create a raw but clear sound that is easy (for non-mortals) to reproduce live. They have succeeded, as this sounds very, very heavy and crystal clear, without the clinical sound that so often comes with modern death metal. The band has a new drummer in Steve Shalaty, and he manages to fill the very large shoes of the departed Alex Hernandez. His work on "Harnessing Ruin" is awesome and the guy has absolutely nailed the unique Immolation style. The guitar riffs and solos are always fantastic and Ross Dolan's vocals are bettered by none. The fact that he can sound so brutal and nasty, while always being decipherable is a sign of just how good he is. I don't have the lyrics to the album and yet, I know a lot of the words already. An unusual occurrence in metal this extreme! It's very difficult for me to pick album highlights as every song is worthy of praise and the album should definitely be listened to in its entirety.

To conclude, if you like death metal, get this album! If you don't like death metal, you're not going to like this. It's that simple! The chances of me ever seeing Immolation live are very slim, but I reckon it would be one of the best experiences a metal fan could have. Immolation are at their peak, and I very much look forward to seeing where they go from here.

I've been making alot of 5 star reviews lately. Oh well, here's another. Immolation is a technical death metal band from NY. And when I say "technical," don't think an uninspired Suffocation knockoff or something, Immolation are easily one of the most original bands around with this release. Immolation are characterized by heavily dissonant harmonic guitar interplay, anchored by new drummer Steve Shalaty's clinical and meticulous double skin-pounding. With their texturous harmonic patterns, Eastern-tinged solos, thumping double bass, and Ross Dolan's omniscient growls, Immolation's sound is best described as warlike. Best of all, there's a great deal of atmosphere despite the band not relying on dubious keyboard arrangements. What's left, then? Immolation are clearly politically charged, without sounding preachy or even falling into dissident archetypes. As for flaws, the production sounds pretty suffocated, not a big loss though.

Yeah, good CD. Get it, death metal fan or not.
- Thus says the Pellington

Immolation is back with their latest brand of unholy death metal. Certainly, this unit has gotten tighter, their music has gotten darker, and they have included even more unorthodox structures into their songs, making them a challenging listen. The songs themselves have the signature Immolation sound, with plenty of tempo changes, yet the music maintains a natural continuity without overtly being technical. It has the malevolent atmosphere of a black metal record and the spirit of old school pioneers like Possessed. Immolation are, of course, a blasphemous death metal band but I feel anyone who likes extreme metal in general can easily get into this album. This is modern death metal at its best.

immolation is awesome, they are hard-pressed to disappoint any death metal fan. unholy cult was freaking awesome as far as im concerned, and this to follow up is amazing. i will never be disappointed by these guys, i guess im just an addict. nothing else really just buy it if you have the dough

Every Immolation album just evolves to another level. The reason I gave this album a 4 instead of a 5, is that I feel the mixing of the album was not to the same high standard as the songs. Musically it is masterful, and a must have for any death metal fan. What I love about this album, is that the songs go beyond the status que of standard death metal with more hooks and structure than just excessive speed. Kick ass!

It took me awhile, but I'm really digging this, reminds me a lot of Morbid Angel, lots of middle eastern type riffs and song structures that change it up a lot. Check it out. i hate punctuation but not really