•
Rating:
The New Yorker band Immolation is fundamental for Brutal Death as they have outlined their own way of playing (which is common to all bands from that city) based on a deeply dark feeling, perhaps the very thing that denied the band greater success. The band made its entry into the Death Metal scene (what a coincidence) in 1991 with this “Dawn Of Possession”, perhaps the only one they are remembered for and that truly proves to be an excellent work even after all these years.
Their proposal, even with the latest “Harnessing Ruin”, remains niche but capable of keeping time: longevity is a trait of very few bands in the field, but Immolation is one of those and has had the chance to prove it beyond this splendid debut branded Roadrunner Records (before it backed down).
Perhaps this work is the one that comes closest to the masterpiece “Effigy Of The Forgotten” by fellow citizens Suffocation, although the technique of the latter is a notch above: someone might think I am going out on a limb by making such a statement, but that's not the case, indeed, I may place it below the aforementioned only by virtue of the great love I have for them (for the series “even metalheads have a heart”).
The quartet shows off a monstrous technique, a true rarity in a debuting band: impeccable guitar work, intricate, rich in off-beats and good solos masterfully intersects with a surgical and quite innovative rhythm section (although far from the geniuses of the aforementioned Suffocation). A real whirlwind is unleashed by the drummer's rhythms, from which every time you can notice something new, a passage that went unnoticed or a roll that previously went by quietly. In short, excellent drumming, complicated, precise, and original.
The guitarists perform equally well, definitively affirming the technical baggage of the album to very high levels. The vocalist, also the bassist, proves he can better handle the voice, a devastating and non-monotonous growl that will encounter good developments throughout the rest of his career: by saying this I don’t mean he's an incapable bassist, simply that his instrument is hardly heard, but this is not new in a Death Metal record. Despite this flaw, the production turns out to be good, capable of giving the LP a very dark and powerful aura while highlighting the executional skill of our guys. The songs have a very varied and intelligently constructed structure: the tempo changes are almost continuous and I believe within a single composition, there could be counted lots. This contributes to making the whole work intriguing and not boring as well as giving the songs a determined shape. Although slowdowns are a small minority, the tempos are never exaggerated even though they are moderately high.
Another strength of the album is undoubtedly the mood; as already said in the beginning, it is very dark and threatening, although it doesn’t reach the gloomy atmospheres created by subsequent or contemporary bands (Accidental Suicide, Demigod, Suffocation, Skinless, Cryptopsy). If I had to make a comparison with other records, I could cite some of their subsequent CDs or the later masterpiece by Gorguts “The Erosion Of Sanity”, even more technical but with a very similar feeling and structure.
Moreover, although it received few praises from critics and is often forgotten, it can be included in the canon of those works that led to the birth of Brutal, that is, those that, by taking the stylistic features of Death, distorted and altered them until they achieved more complex, more extreme music and infinitely distant from Thrash in terms of violence and attitude. A characteristic of great musical works is to astonish the listener even after numerous listens and to ignite the same emotions even over time: records that achieve one of these intents are great records, those that succeed in both are masterpieces. “Dawn Of Possession” does not belong only to the second category but has also contributed to the foundation of a genre; excellent is an understatement.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 Despondent Souls (04:15)
Slaughtering the innocent,
Massacring the weak
Intimidate their fearful minds
Corrupt their structurer world
Afflict with terror, their lives suppressed
Consuming all their hopes
Expurgate their thoughts, oppressing all,
Nauseate with fright
Hollowed shells of living corpses
Pay homage to their art
Frail and weak, despondent souls,
Are prematurely dead...
Cherished hopes beyond Your grasp
Trepidation grows within
Time exists to test Your brain
Tormenting fast Your sanity
Dormant lives are cast aside
Evil slaughter, vile and sick
...Feel the pain!
Deep below... damp and cold
Chambers filled... with rotting dead
Sealed together... cryptic cells
Twisted corpses... in a mangled grave
Maggots grow... deep inside
Multiply... savored feast
Concealed to all... unknown their fate
Plea for life... their cries obscure
Slaughtering the innocent,
Massacring the weak
Intimidate their fearful minds
Corrupt their structurer world
Afflict with terror, their lives suppressed
Consuming all their hopes
Expurgate their thoughts, oppressing all,
Nauseate with fright
Hollowed shells of living corpses
Pay homage to their art
Frail and weak, despondent souls,
Are prematurely dead...
Cherished hopes beyond Your grasp
Trepidation grows within
Time exists to test Your brain
Tormenting fast Your sanity
Dormant lives are cast aside
Evil slaughter, vile and sick
...Feel the pain!
03 Dawn of Possession (03:07)
Awaiting messiah
To save us from sin
A second hope
His reign begins
Born of virgin
To conquer mankind
Deity from hell
Satan divine...
Christ possessed
I am born...
Twist of scripture
Christ possessed
Come forth with wrath
Evil obsessed
Hatred and war
Sadistic spell
Swallows the Earth
Thanks be to hell
Christ possessed
The pain has come...
Praise the day the Christ child is born
Born of woman, to evil he`s sworn
To rule mankind like no other before
Unholy throne, Christ adore
Arise in flames... I am born
I rule with fury... I rule with scorn
Evil will conquer... and forever will be
Bleed in pain... kneel to me
04 Those Left Behind (05:13)
I lift my soul joyfully
If not, my life will end painfully
Extol He who rides above the clouds
Majestic and glorious
Reigning victorious
Exalted to His name
Far above the Earth
But below is where I`ll see
Unmoved by Your praise
High above the heavens
Resounding out His name
Far below are my beliefs
Your majestic light shines down upon me
I turn my face... and shut my eyes
For Your light casts darkness upon my world
A world I`ve not chosen... to dwell within
For those who judge me by Your standards
Say I`m unworthy... of Your grace
Enthroned upon their praise
Pethroned with my disgust
Unworthy of Your glory
You turn Your back on me
Yo are Jesus
You are Lord
Imperfect God
You are nothing to me
For this You say
I`ll burn for eternity
Jesus Christ
You are Lord
You are God
But have You won over sin and death
Victory`s crown shall be ours
For we are those
Those You`ve left behind
07 Burial Ground (03:41)
War has evolved, in a world bound for death
Trails of blood
Lead to our corpses
Liquids of life, have taken to the Earth...
Man destroying man...
Mankind a corpse, with man`s insanity
The Earth is now a burial ground
Destroying humanity
A world made of shit! Now in endless pain
Man destroying the Earth
War has evolved, in a world bounf for death
Trails of blood
Lead to our corpses
Liquids of life, have taken to the Earth...
Man destroying man
08 After My Prayers (05:54)
I pray that I can see
Beyond this life tormenting me
Tempting from inside
Come hysteric thoughts of pain
Slowly I`m consumed
Into emptiness I fall
When all my body`s cold and dead
Will the feelings be the same
Will my kingdom comfort me
Of reject my languid soul
Stagnant cooling blood
Starts to coagulate
My body weakens and sinks
As my soul discorporates
Ressurected from the souls of the damned
Comes the fury of their dismay
Ungodly images unveiled to me
Creations from below
My body rot within it`s grave
My soul now free to roam
I begin to seek
What`s been taunting me
My lifeless corpse
No longer blinding me
My incarnate life no more
My existence now deceased
Now what I am gone
I exist in misery
My unpleasant renization
And my suffering begins
Salvation never reacehd
And my kingdom never found
Starts to coagulate
My body weakens and sinks
As my soul discorporates
Ressurected from the souls of the damned
Comes the fury of their dismay
Ungodly images unveiled to me
Creations from below
My body rot within it`s grave
My soul forever roam
Loading comments slowly
