Inquisition
Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm
Season of Mist
Release Date: 15 June 2015
Reviewed by Matt Bolton
Originating from Columbia and now residing in Seattle where he met drum god Incubus, Dagon had found his partner in crime who would help him in his quest for true black metal. If there is one black metal band you should witness live it would be Inquisition. The phenomenal album, epically titled ‘Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm’ which came out in 2011 is spruced up in 2015 by the kind folk at Season of Mist who have reissued the album with the artwork of Paolo Girardi based on German art from the 15th century.
Opening track ‘Astral Path to Supreme Majesties’ starts the record off with monstrous blast beats from the master of the kit Incubus and Dagon’s distinct demonic vocals soon take hold. Dagon doesn’t let up riff after riff, with solos galore. The change in song structure is frequent with so much going on there is never a dull moment. From break-neck speed to slow, doomy, somewhat depressing and heavy grooves the album has it all. Check out the groove on ‘Command of the Dark Crown’, my personal favourite. The dialogue, “Lucifer punish your enemies oh lord of the night. Destroy them all!” at the start of the song adds a nice touch.
Inquisition are on a mission to destroy the listener’s eardrums with their evil sounds. There is no filler here. There are 10 tracks that to me all stand out in their own way. ‘Desolate Funeral Chant’ starts out slow and depressing and almost 3 minutes into it there is a stomping riff that you must bang your head to. ‘Cosmic Invocation Rites’ is Inquisition at their most brutal, constant blast-beats with Dagon proving yet again that he is an absolute powerhouse of riffs. Title track changes pace after the shortest track on the album ‘Upon the Fire Winged Demon’ with its solos and speed. ‘Hymn for a Dead Star’ is another favourite of mine as is ‘Across the Abyss Ancient Horns Bray’ which wraps the album up nicely with its complex composition.
There is so much texture in Dagon’s riffs and the fact that a bass is not needed and the way he plays the guitar to achieve this is what stands Inquisition apart from other bands of the genre. The production of the album is still raw and brutal but sounds polished, not too polished though as some black metal bands go over the top losing that true black metal sound. Inquisition proves all it takes is a two-man army to create ‘true black metal’ that will remain timeless. Now is the time to check this iconic group out as Season of Mist have reissued the back catalogue with amazing artwork…
Strongly recommended! Hail Satan!
