Inquisition
Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm

Perhaps some kind soul might have wondered why I've been absent for so long, in other words, the sweet period during which I haven't pestered you with my nonsense. Well, do not think that the cause was a lack of material or a hypothetical "rookie wall" in the style of the NBA: nothing of the sort. Simply (but not too simply), I underwent one of those so-called Damascus road illuminations that shook my deepest foundations: I changed my faculty, decided that an open mind is better than a hole in the head, and had to work my tail off. In short, I needed consolation, and I went searching for it. I tried to live a bohemian life, but I gave up after too many encounters with the toilet and its... very open mouth. I sought liberation in a brothel, à la Schopenhauer, but I just ended up with a lighter wallet and... gun. I couldn't get out of it. Fortunately, music is the panacea for every ill, so I continued to sharpen my desolate hearing. I turned to Depressive Black Metal, and indeed, I was almost free from suffering: I was ready with the rope and the stool. Then, I ditched everything and everyone and went back to the good old Traditional Black, losing myself behind its notes. And it was here that I stumbled upon the latest work from Inquisition: "Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm" (2010).

So, what to say? First of all, I was decidedly pleased to learn that some serious artists also come from Colombia, unlike a certain "wacca wacca." Inquisition, in fact, has been offering more than valid extreme metal for the past 23 years, and with this latest work, they have reached what is most likely their peak.

It begins with "Astral Path To Supreme Majestatis", which immediately drags the listener into a black vortex with its crushing start: just how we seasoned metalheads like it. The first track outlines the entire album's coordinates: dark and stunning riffs, which for us blacksters are our daily bread (forget Oro Saiwa) and Incubus's drumming, which skillfully alternates his classic blast beats with more relaxed sections, all seasoned by significantly better production compared to "Nefarious Dismal Orations." What's more, for everyone's delight, the dear and timeless invocation to Satan is not missing, at the beginning of "Command Of The Dark Crown".

A separate discussion must be made for Dagon's vocals: there's not much to do about it, his harsh, croaky, and chilling scream (which reminds so much of Abbath's, leader of Immortal) is either loved or hated; either you liken it to a bullfrog issuing loud gurgles, or to a dark acolyte whispering. I lean towards the latter option.

"Ominous Doctrines" is a fascinating work soaked in mysticism; a sort of initiatic journey that, through the dulling of senses and reason via ten astral and philosophical tracks, leads the neophyte to contact with the most evil dream experience there is. After a few minutes, I was no longer in my room: I wandered through a desolate snowy field, as the stars were dimming, and the snow creaked ominously beneath my soles. In short, an album where the combination "Violence - Dream" is indeed inseparable, and which demonstrates how Inquisition is like wine: the older they get, the more they delight us. And how they can still kick the behinds of many awkward youngsters who clamor, clamor, but have nothing to say. And I highly recommend it to you: it was an overdose of this album that lifted me up and gave me the strength to go on.

Now all I need to do is find a remedy for my insomnia and I'm all set.