Artist: Immolation
Label: Metal Mind
Release Date: 1991
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Dawn of Possession Artist: Immolation Label: Metal Mind Release Date: 1991 Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Slither's Review:
Immolation is, for me, the most perfect representation of the brutal approach to death metal. Their thematic approach has consistently been a flaming middle finger to the abomination of Judeo-Christian doctrine presented in a total package of musical and visual art. In all honesty, even if the music wasn't so superb their entire discography excluding Unholy Cult would be worth owning just for the beautiful cover art crafted by Andreas Marschall. Immolation's first full length Dawn of Possession is legendary in death metal not only for its content, but also for its eBay price and difficulty to obtain. Luckily the original pressing is no longer relevant thanks to the re-release by Polish label Metal Mind. Sticking with a recent theme of giving classic re-releases the attention they deserve, what follows is my interpretation of a personal favorite:When assaulting human ears most bands can be linked with a sonic weapon of choice. Fellow New York scene members Suffocation wield their music like a battering ram, bludgeoning the listener with speed and ferocity. Though they rely on a similar template, Immolation is more likely to incinerate anything within audible range through their malevolent willpower than they are to go for a submission victory. In this first album we see traces of the narrative songwriting Immolation would eventually perfect on Close to a World Below. In their latter work, the band nearly abandon the common conception of the guitar riff in favor of repetitious presentation of dissonant intervals allowing the percussion and vocal cadence to tell a larger part of the story. Narrative is in essence the technique Immolation use to raise themselves above the blast n' grunt nature that consumed much of the death metal spawned in the American north east. The songs on DoP are a little closer to standard early 90s fare, but the way they unfold, shrugging off any specific formula, is what makes this album special.
While the more popular approach New York bands forced the listener to gasp for air through torrents of blasting only to find release in a head bobbing mosh riff, the drumming on Immolation's first album allowed for a more creative underpinning to the vortex of chromatic riffing. While blast beats and intense tempo changes are employed throughout this album, the rhythmic approach is such that even at its most chaotic a sense of control is maintained and ideas are still being processed.
Another future aspect of Immolation's perfection being honed on this record is the vocal delivery. The lyrics are given extra presence through the use of ominous and vast reverb while Ross Dolan's powerful growl boils through the speakers with commanding authority and surprising clarity. Immolation conveys the message of impiety in a manner that does not require the lyric sheet to understand.
The final touch on Dawn of Possession that sets it firmly in place in the upper tiers of death metal is the fact that Scott Burns was not allowed to defile this album's midrange frequencies. While so many of the genre's classic albums were totally scooped out by the Floridian butcher, Immolation wisely went to Germany to record this album. It is for that very reason that the re-release did not need to be re-mastered, the production stands up even today as exemplar. If there is an empty slot in the "I" section of your CD shelf, there is no better recommendation than Dawn of Possession.
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