Customer Reviews

Onward to Golgotha

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4 star:		(1)
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This is an early, and rough-sounding look at the INCANTATION SOUND. A very evil, kind of detuned black and intensely Evil sound... like a death metal Slayer, that went to Doom school, and with a ability to touch upon catchy evil melodies like the best black metal riffs. All that ecompassed in some of the deepest and growliest Death Metal to ever make it out into the world. This disc should come with an awesoem DVD of some early live performances. Very cool to see as I was about 13 when this came out... Must have for the true fans and new fans. This is an important band for death metal--that set a benchmark, and one of the earliest group of deviants on the Relapse records roster.

A roaring onslaught of streaming sound, this album moves away from the choppy, explosive riffing which emphasized guitar as percussion instrument. Instead, texture and shape are emphasized in highly relativistic phrases which narrate the development of themes like a classical pop piece. Unholy bass-heavy vocals merge with detuned distorted guitar and deathlike prowling bass, creating a peristaltic wash of sonic attack that is irresitably violent and well-composed. Of the many early death metal releases, this one stands the test of time.

I have been a long time Incantation fan (even owning the Entrantment Of Evil demo from way back in the day), but this album helped put this band on the forefront because it had the conviction to ensure this band longevity. The music is barbarically heavy and continually alternates from fast to slow and vice versa. Craig Pillard's voice is inhuman!! This whole album just kicks ass from start to finish, all they to do now is finally play Immortal Cessation when I see them live next month.

This is by far the best death metal album... Yes, Nile is great, Immolation is a little fake but good, and Entombed and other Swedish kids are also big. But this is complex, heavy and grinding. I love the drums on this one, not bullet speed, but constantly crossing over and using every single instrument he has. Pillard's voice is excellent, and fits perfectly. Great solos, suffocating riffs.

You'll have a lot of neck pain at the end. Nothing else.

The debut of Incantation is undeniably their strongest effort, despite how consistent they are throughout the rest of their career. Everything on this album is top-notch and lays waste to all in its path.

The production is perfect for this musical style. It gives every instrument the sinister edge yet retains rough and dirty. The riffs are extraordinary, ranging from crushing doom style to dissonant and twisted. Craig Pillard's vocals are low and give the sound of a creature that dwells in the deepest abyss. When it comes to how this is all put together, it flows fluently with the tempo transitions, building up and never losing its steam. The overall wall of sound crafted by "Onward to Golgotha" is a wicked, apocalyptic atmosphere of riffs, and it's sure to benefit those that are into early 90's death metal.

The re-issue of this disc comes with a bonus DVD that has the lineup for this album playing three shows. This album is a classic in the death metal genre and should not be missed out if you like it slow and crushing.

Incantation's "Onward To Golgotha" is a death metal gem in in my top 5 list of best death metal albums of all time. It's lo-fi, heavy as hell and full to the brim of midpaced deep and thrashy riffs that create a whirlwind wall of evil sound. It's amazing that these guys don't get more credit for just how awesome they are. If I met someone new to death metal I'd give them a copy of this album and tell them that if they can't get into this and feel it's evil power then they have no taste in metal. Of course, I'm only joking there but in all seriousness this album rocks and is punishing and full of atmospheric evil from start to finish.

This is a death metal classic. If you are a fan of this genre then you must own this cd. Incantation is a band that started out brutal and have not changed their evil ways. This album is part of what I consider one of the core Relapse Records from the 90's. Raise the horns and prepare for aural annihilation.

Incantation's Onward To Golgotha is a calssick indeed! I was fortunate enough to be able to buy this cd from Incantation's current drummer Kyle Severn, I even had him, John, and Joe sign it for me, which might sound retarded since Kyle and Joe didn't play on this record but I thought that it would be cool for them to sign it b/c Kyle is a major part of the Incantation history and Joe is becoming a big part of their history, and both are amazing at their instruments...plus to top all of that off Blasphemy happens to be my favorite Incantation release so far, which Kyle and Joe played on...

Onward To Golgotha was Incantation's first full-length release and although I was still in diapers at the time, it seemed to make quite an impact on the U.S Death Metal scene, and now enjoying it's contents, I can see why...Now I have had this cd since March, so I have had quite a few good listens, and it still makes me smile at the heaviness and darkness that is contained on this cd. Songs like Golgotha, Devoured Death, Rotting Spiritual Embodiment, Entrantment Of Evil, Christening The Afterbirth, and the classicks Unholy Massacre and Profanation make me want to destroy churches and burn bibles, which here in east Texas is a good thing...Deep, Demonic, Unholy Death vokills spew forth from Craig's mouth like he is actually possessed by DEATH itself...John's guitar skills seem as good on here as they are now, and the drummer doesn't play fast all the time which is a good thing, like another reviewer said he seems to use ALL of his drum kit, not just the hi-hats, bass drums, and snare.

All in all this a very awesome release in my opinion and definitely one of the best debuts I have ever heard, every track is filled with pure Death Metal enjoyment! In fact I like the Entrantment Of Evil demo cover so much that I got it tattooed on my arm, the figure of DEATH on the goat head gondola transporting the souls to hell was just irresistible! Overall Incantation is one of my favorite blasphemous Death Metal bands, I prefer them any day over the black finger nail painting, corpse paint wearing dorks of black metal any day! (the only exception being Immortal) So do yourself a favor and pick this classick up today!

Also, this seems to be about the only Incantation cd with little guitar solos/leads on it, which is weird because even without guitar solos all the other Incantation releases kick ass too!

...Whenever i listing to an album by incantation it just makes me smile because it is so damn good. If you love old school deathmetal then its a must you own and support incantation because they been in the scene for quite a while now and still making amazing music and i don't they think they'll stop any time soon. Onward to golgotha, is in my opinion incantation's best album todate and prolly one of the best deathmetal albums yet... With the perfect production and lirycs as well as very orginal i might add. For old school deathmetal fans out there! Recommended!!

Though they've long since taken a back seat to their more innovative contemporaries, New Jersey's Incantation was once perhaps the most ferocious and impressive American DM band outside of Florida. While Immolation and Suffocation took time to fully develop their sounds, Incantation's raw doom/death assault was intact with their debut "Onward to Golgotha." Many classic DM era recordings emanating from Sunlight Studios and Morrisound now have a somewhat forced, artificial feel, but "Onward to Golgotha" maintains a sheer force of sound unmatched in the era. This is pure, untamed doom/death that oozes from the speakers in a nearly undifferentiated mass of thudding bass drums and infectious tremolo riffs all topped by Pillard's rarely matched growl. Though Incantation lack the adventurousness of some of the best DM bands, they display a sort of specialization that separates them from the generic masses. While Obituary is most commonly lauded for effectively introducing slower tempos into straight death metal, "Onward to Golgotha" utilizes doomy passages more prominently and more effectively than in any other true DM release I've heard. (Also, while purportedly slow DM is often actually quite groovy and midpaced, Incantation really take things down to the sludgy depths.) Equally significant, Pillard's unearthly roar is easily the most effective ultra deep growl I've heard, and is beautifully suited for muddy excesses of the instrumental accompaniment. Simply put, this is some of the darkest, most malevolent sounding DM ever recorded.

On the downside, while most first-rate death metal transcends pure sound and contains memorable, distinctive songs, the same cannot be said for "Onward to Golgotha." Not a lot in specific stands out, apart from the general progression of sounds, as album opens emphasizing typical DM blasting and trem-riffing before moving to the more doomy and varied middle section and finally returning to a more speed-oriented approach for the closing tracks. That said, though I'd have a hell of a time picking any standout tracks, or, more precisely, explaining why such tracks are superior to the rest of the album, the uniformity of "Onward to Golgotha" does little to dampen my enthusiasm for it. While the individual tracks may not standout, the album does as a whole does, and stands as one of the most striking and immediately distinct releases of death metal's golden age. Check it out.