IMMOLATION “Failures For Gods” /LP + Poster/

Embroidered bordered woven patch.

165x90mm

The second re-release of the second full-length studio album by legendary American Brutal Death Metal band.
Released through Metal Blade Records, after the band was dropped from Roadrunner Records, this is the last album to feature drummer Craig Smilowski; Alex Hernandez joined the band on their next album.
In the five years between their debut album and "Here In After", Immolation refined their creative vision into something more than a blend of their influences. This is an album of pure Death Metal, while earlier efforts still contained significant components of the Thrash Metal sound of the 1980s. The bending, winding pinch harmonic riffs that characterized "Dawn Of Possession" are still abundant, but songs are now much more complex and harmonically dense. Rather than defining melody through single-string tremolo-picking, Immolation prefer a more rhythmic sense of composition. Dissonant chords are repeatedly used as emphasis over blast-beats, before everything slows to a gloomy crawl. A tendency toward syncopation and off-kilter drumming gives Immolation's sound an unsettling, wavering feel that can almost be described as "funky" (in the darkest sense of the word). The thick chord voicing favoured by guitarist Bob Vigna are atonal in a way, likely influenced by Voivod's Piggy d'Amour.
While the playing on this release is extremely technical, it does not have the mechanical precision of other Death Metal bands. Bizarre time signatures and finger gymnastics give the impression of a decrepit ghost ship in murky, choppy waters rather than a robotic assassin. While song structures tend to meander, a clear narrative emerges through the repetition and variation of themes. "Here In After" is a complicated stew with plenty of flavours, yet each has a role to play. This album represents the invention of a new system of Death Metal composition that, while not as common as other iterations of the genre, is among the most engaging.
The influence of Immolation is understated, yet it can be clearly heard in the discordance of bands like Gorguts. "Here In After" is a milestone in Immolation's long career and represents a foundational work of harmony in Death Metal!
Specially remastered for vinyl, released with 400g heavy cardboard spine sleeve, 180 g black vinyl includes 60x60 cm two-sided poster.
Metal Blade Records, 1996/2017 (3984-14102-1). Made in Germany.


Tracklist:

Side A
1. Nailed To Gold 3:54
2. Burn With Jesus 4:00
3. Here In After 4:54
4. I Feel Nothing 4:41

Side B
5. Away From God 4:45
6. Towards Earth 4:47
7. Under The Supreme 4:23
8. Christ's Cage 5:52

Total playing time: 37:16 min.



Samples: https://immolation.bandcamp.com

The second re-release of the third full-length studio album by legendary American Brutal Death Metal band.
After participating in the initial wave of innovation in New York Death Metal in the late '80s and early '90s, Immolation continued to develop in a harmonically dense, technical direction. On their fourth album, they find a late career voice.
While time signatures remain elusive and chord voicing remain convoluted, the total number of riffs per song is significantly reduced. While individual parts have more breathing room, the overall effect is significantly more suffocating. Lurching, percussive passages intimidate and horrify, and dissonant chords create a thick sonic fog. The combination of dissonance, doomy passages, and bizarre guitar techniques treads into the same otherworldly territory Gorguts mapped out on 1998's "Obscura".
The most remarkable thing about "Close To A World Below" is the capacity for specific melodic and rhythmic motifs to rise out of the chaos and grab the listener. Immolation's intuition remains grounded in themes that easily touch subconscious desires for melodic resolution and rhythmic satisfaction.
While Immolation were New York Death Metal innovators during the late '80s and early '90s, they also released one of the most profound and creative death metal albums of the 2000s, giving a new voice to a genre deluged with cookie-cutter clones!
Specially remastered for vinyl, released with 400g heavy cardboard spine sleeve, 180 g black vinyl includes a large two-sided poster.
Metal Blade Records, 2000/2017 (3984-14349-1). Made in Germany.


Tracklist:

Side A
1. Higher Coward 5:00
2. Father, You're Not A Father 5:03
3. Furthest From The Truth 4:26
4. Fall From A High Place 4:37

Side B
5. Unpardonable Sin 4:33
6. Lost Passion 5:40
7. Put My Hand In The Fire 4:12
8. Close To A World Below 8:19

Total playing time: 41:50 min.



Samples: https://immolation.bandcamp.com