Immolation
Dawn Of Possession

THE REVIEW

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.