Immolation

Harnessing Ruin (Olympic)
by Eric Chon

Atonal guitars, bombastic rhythm, and throat-wrenching vocals. These are the requisite ingredients for any death metal release. I would dare say they define the genre's main aural components. So it's no wonder that so many death metal bands sound familiar: You could scour the CD bins, pull out five albums, and not be able to distinguish any of them. It takes a truly talented and unrelenting band to maintain a perfect combination of brutality and inimitablility. New York's Immolation are more than up to the task.

Harnessing Ruin showcases a mastery of the sound rarely seen anymore. Angular guitars are complimented by atmospheric melodies, instilling visions of fiery oblivion. Songs often change direction on a dime, creating brutal soundscapes reminiscent of Hell itself. If there ever was a soundtrack to your own damnation, Harnessing Ruin would be it.

Many bands fizzle out after a few years, their creative spark all but gone. But even after over a decade of genre-defining metal, Immolation's candle still burns bright.
(www.olympicrecords.com)