### Immolation: Kingdom of conspiracy

#### 19/07/13 || Habakuk

With Bolt Thrower out of the game, there are not too many high-profile long runners that I will immediately check out the minute I hear of a new release. You guessed it, Immolation is one of them. Having found a new formula around 2007, every release since – including the EPs – has been a rock solid pillar of dark, menacing death metal. What about this new one then?

Well, as with the albums directly prior to it, a few things differ from the band’s early releases. First of all, Immolation seem to have taken a liking in a bit of punch to their sound. Gone are the days of murky evilness, the band have completely changed their sound to upfront asskickery, and “Kingdom of conspiracy” is no exception. Secondly, the lyrical topic seems to be more centered on control and power as a whole these days, as opposed to the old stuff that sometimes had me wonder just how many songs one could write that dissed god and the gang. In fact, this new one sounds almost (gasp) political at times.

And also, with this modern Immolation, there is a small sense of catchiness that shines through the still thoroughly dissonant guitar proceedings. Maybe also because we hear the drums clearly and prominently? No matter what it is exactly, “Kingdom of conspiracy” has a structured, very clear feel to it, and thus is almost “accessible”, at least by Immolation standards. So if you’ve never listened to the band before, this might actually be quite the starting point. For the likes of me who have spent many an hour listening to Immolation in various stages of their career, it might however be a small step down from the monolithic Majesty and decay.

The reason I think is that with less focus on thick, evil atmosphere, where you easily just go through an album as a whole, you tend to be more alert to the songwriting on an individual song basis. And there is simply not enough sticking power to the material on here. Which doesn’t mean it’s bad, the quality stays high throughout. In fact there are some really awesome sections sending heads a-bangin’ / feet a-tappin’, yet when they’re through, my mind’s a-stayin’ relatively unblown. Because they have done this a little better already. Still, to speak of a disappointment would do this no justice. The guitar work, drumming and Ross Dolan’s awesome vocals are beyond any criticism, and if you like your death metal complex but without wankery, you’ll do no wrong with “Kingdom of Conspiracy”. It holds up even after multiple listens. Just if you expect Immolation to deliver near-perfect future classics, this one doesn’t quite live up to that.

- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.everlastingfire.com

- Band
- Ross Dolan: vocals, bass
- Rob Vigna: guitars
- Bill Taylor: guitars
- Steve Shalaty: drums

- Tracklist
- 1. Kingdom of conspiracy
- 2. Bound to order
- 3. Keep the silence
- 4. God complex
- 5. Echoes of despair
- 6. Indoctrinate
- 7. The great sleep
- 8. A spectacle of lies
- 9. Serving divinity
- 10. All that awaits us