Continuing their interstellar trek, Inquisition release their seventh album, Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith. For those unfamiliar, Inquisition combine their blasting and tremolo-picked black metal with signature riffs and a taste for the cosmos to create a most cacophonous concoction.
There are certain sections of songs that leave you feeling as you are drifting into the great beyond and infinite darkness. With so many great albums that precede it, just how good is Bloodshed?
Pulling no punches from the outset, Inquisition lay down their trademark black metal with varying sections with breakneck speed on “Wings of Anu” and some slowed down to hear Dagon’s frog-like vocal delivery.
Fans of vintage of Immortal should take notice. However, this is a Colombian/American endeavor and not a Norwegian one. A place where his voice takes central focus is during the middle of “A Black Aeon Shall Cleanse.” for example. It isn’t the only time that it happens, but you take notice when his throat is shredding upon delivery.
“The Flames of Infinite Blackness Before Creation” is steeped in atmosphere as it barely gets beyond a slow plod. Great black metal often leaves you on edge after listening, but a track like this is what makes this band so special. Instead of feeling uneasy or on edge, you merely feel lost and insignificant, much like our own individual place in the universe. Incubus knows his place in the band as well. The drums never take over the songs, but they pace the album in an expert fashion.
Inquisition continue their trend of not only excellent black metal, but also their own brand of cosmic metal, too. In this age of black metal, Inquisition are the undisputed kings of the genre, as they continue to add to their catalog without compromise for what makes them so highly regarded. This is most surely to top many lists by year’s end and it is no surprise as to why.
(released August 26, 2016 on Season Of Mist)
