Immolation
Close To A World Below

"Close To A World Below" was released in 2000 and is the fourth album by Immolation. The band from New York enhances their technical-musical and instrumental repertoire with each album and probably reaches the pinnacle of their career with this release.

The themes are always the same typical of the group, based on strong Anti-Christianity and criticism of the Church. The album is powerful, ferocious, and sharp, hitting the listener with a violently sonic approach. Frantic riffing and drumming, but never boring, the guitar sound is always varied, and the solos are perfectly structured, fitting precisely with the riffs of each track and showcasing expressiveness and musicality, in addition to a high level of instrumental technique. Behind the drums, Alex Hernandez is unleashed, blast beats, violent rolls, and truly enjoyable fills accompany us throughout the album's duration, a truly superlative performance. Ross Dolan's growl is cavernous and malevolent, and at times truly expressive, a devastating voice full of anger and hatred that fantastically rests upon the wall of sound created by the other band members.

The album has no single moment of decline; each track is devastating, and every vibration of the strings exudes violence without ever intending to stop. Defining the best episodes is difficult; every song is an extraordinary moment of both mental and auditory devastation, the CD emanates an incredible power. Starting from the opener "Higher Coward" through "Furthest From The Truth" and "Unpardonable Sin" up to the final track, a full 8 minutes long, "Close To A World Below", the listener is inundated by a flood of notes and relentless blows without a moment's respite.

After the debut album "Dawn Of Possession," perhaps Immolation had somewhat lost their way, but for this album, they have returned to greatness. In my opinion, along with their first work, this disc is the best that the New York band has ever contributed to the Brutal Death Metal scene.