IMMOLATION is a name long synonymous with the extreme music scene, delivering some of the most unique and creatively dark death metal the underground has witnessed over the past 32 years.  Their latest release, “Atonement” (Nuclear Blast), proved that this is one band that does not look back, continuing to push the limits and remaining a vibrant force for the future of a genre they helped define. 

Since the release of their debut album “Dawn of Possession” (Roadrunner) in 1991, IMMOLATION has been paving their way down an ever-evolving path of uncompromising musical devastation!  Never a band to rely on their previous efforts, IMMOLATION has continued album after album to refine and hone their most identifiable style and sound, creating some of the darkest and most adventurous death metal the scene has ever heard.   With such classic albums as “Here In After”, “Failures for Gods”, and “Close To A World Below” (Metal Blade), as well as their more recent critically acclaimed releases, “Unholy Cult”, “Harnessing Ruin”, “Hope and Horror”(ep) and “Shadows In The Light” (Listenable/Century Media),  the band has developed into one of the premier extreme acts of our time.  

2010 saw the next step in IMMOLATION’s evolution with its Nuclear Blast debut, “Majesty and Decay”.   With the release of “Majesty and Decay” IMMOLATION not only surpassed their previous releases musically, but had started a new chapter in their career with the added mix/mastering talents of Zack Ohren (Castle Ultimate Studios).  Together with long-time producer Paul Orofino (Millbrook Sound Studios), the combination proved to be the key to some of the most powerful sounding IMMOLATION material to date!  Not only had IMMOLATION taken their abilities so much further, with some of the most disheartening musical landscapes the band has ever created, but the sound and production were taken to new levels as well, unleashing all the unrelenting force the band truly offers!  With their most solid production recorded at that time, accented by the remarkably stunning artwork of then newly recruited Par Olofsson, “Majesty and Decay” became an instant classic!    

Not too long after, 2011 saw the release of IMMOLATION’s second ever ep entitled “Providence” (Scion A/V).  This five-song ep of all new original tracks was released by Scion A/V (Toyota) as an online free download, available for fans worldwide.  Free cds and vinyl were only available during the band’s U.S tour for this ep, making it an even more sought-after release! Overall “Providence” proved again that the combination of Orofino & Ohren, with Par Olofsson once again at the artistic helm, was a team to keep!  Production and artwork were once again some of the bands best.  “Providence” was not just an ep, it proved to be a five-song mammoth that found itself on top release lists for that year!  With IMMOLATION creating an interesting collection of avant-garde, yet extremely catchy songs” Providence” set the tone for where the band was heading, and a taste of what to expect from their next full length lp.

With 2013’s “Kingdom of Conspiracy”, the band took things to another level of intensity.   With this, the band’s second full length record for Nuclear Blast, it was clear that IMMOLATION had found themselves at their most refined and strongest point to date.  “Kingdom of Conspiracy” was without a doubt their most complete, menacing, and grimmest culmination of musical madness the band had ever released!  While conceptually taking a dim and bitter look at the realities of our world today, adding an Orwellian twist to its not so distant future, all our fears are soon realized in this soundtrack that mirrors our world more than we choose to accept.   And with speeds and intensity beyond anything the band had recorded before, “Kingdom of Conspiracy” became an instant classic to both their fans and piers.  

February 2017 saw the release of “Atonement”, the band’s 10th full length album, their third for Nuclear Blast Records.  “Atonement” was truly a defining moment for IMMOLATION, having some of the most mournful orchestrations the band have dared to delve into, redefining themselves once again and coming out holding the torch high!  An unrelenting collection of catchy, intense and darkly imaginative tracks, each song on “Atonement” is a testament to the pure style and creativity that makes IMMOLATION who they are.  Each song on this record is uniquely different from the next, with each one incorporating so many of the classic IMMOLATION elements that put this band in a league of their own when it comes to extreme metal.  “Atonement” is an album that takes the listener on a musical journey that touches on all the extremes; the slow and heavy, the fast and savage and the dark and haunting.    “Atonement” is hands down the band’s best produced release in their 32-year history.  Recorded once again at Millbrook Sound Studios with producer Paul Orofino, mixed and mastered by Zack Ohren (Castle Ultimate Studios), and once again featuring the amazing cover artwork of Par Olofsson along with additional artwork by the very talented Zbigniew Bielak, “Atonement” truly had extreme music fans foaming at the mouth!  With pinpoint accuracy and violent melodic prowess, and lyrical content touching on the dark realities of humanity and the world we have created, the epic feel and dominating power delivered by “Atonement” was able to please fans of death/black metal and all extreme music!  

On the success of “Atonement” IMMOLATION conquered the world stages from 2017-2019, touring relentlessly through almost every continent on the planet!  With extensive runs taking the band throughout North America, Europe, Central America, Asia, Australia, South America and Japan, the band performed hundreds of dates in theatres, clubs and open-air festivals worldwide…bringing their unbridled live energy to thousands of metal fans!  

Now, while the world continues to wait for a return to normalcy, IMMOLATION prepares for their new album.  And be certain, a dark and powerful album it will be!   For once again, as proven before, these seasoned artists of darkness plan to go beyond all expectations, both musically and in their future live shows, to bring their listeners senses burning down to the ground in a pile of ash…thanking IMMOLATION for every minute it took them to get there!

IMMOLATION is:

Ross Dolan – bass/vocals

Robert Vigna – guitar

Steve Shalaty – Drums

Alex Bouks – guitar

PATHOLOGY is epitomized as the ultimate death metal assault to the ears. Since their formation in 2006, the San Diego-based band has managed to release a new album almost every single year since their inception, and have sold over 10,000 albums in the underground scene. The band’s hunger to churn out bludgeoning metal coupled with meaningful themes instantly separates them from the rest.

Abigail Williams returns with their boldest and most diverse offering to date.

“Walk Beyond the Dark” summarizes the band’s previous experiments into one defining statement.

The album deftly wields the forces of light and dark in skilled measure. Icy guitars and bleak atmospheres encircle. String accompaniments burst into rapture. Powerful guitars shift between slithering rhythms and all-out assaults.

The grandiosity of the band’s debut album arrives via intricate string accompaniments. The raw fury of their sophomore effort pummels. A sense of space and clarity evokes the band’s third album. And the gritty darkness and progressive oddity evoke the fourth.

“Walk Beyond the Dark” melds all previous efforts into an undeniable force, elevating the result to the next level.

Abigail Williams take their rightful crown as the lords of American black metal.

The melancholic futility of despair. Surrender to the mysterious void.

Since their founding in 1983, Vader (named for Star Wars’ dark lord, of course), Poland’s premier death metal band, have been through many lineup changes. Only founding vocalist/guitarist Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek remains from the original incarnation. Along with the many personnel changes came musical evolution: Vader were founded as a power metal band who quickly embraced thrash, then speed metal, before embracing their ever-evolving, always-brutal brand of death metal. Perseverance was key: They toured Eastern Europe and issued only self-released outings for a decade — which included Morbid Reich, a cassette demo that sold some 10,000 copies and scored them a deal with Earache for their proper studio debut, 1994’s The Ultimate Incantation. After relentless touring and issues with the label, they went on their way, cutting and releasing records wherever they could. They signed to Metal Blade for 2000’s breakthrough Litany and remained there until moving over to Nuclear Blast for 2009’s Necropolis. 2016’s The Empire, issued 33 years after they formed, proved so successful that the band stayed out for two full years to support it globally. In 2020 the group issued their 16th long-player, Solitude in Madness.

Vader formed in 1983, toiling around the European death and thrash circuit while releasing demos into the metal tape-trading circuit. Their 1990 demo, Morbid Reich, became a huge hit in the underground, leading to a record deal with Earache in 1992. This made Vader the first death metal band from behind the Iron Curtain to sign a record deal outside of their native Poland. The same year, they released The Ultimate Incantation, a large success in the metal underground. They toured with Bolt Thrower, Grave, Deicide, and many other groups to bring their live performances to American audiences. They left Earache the next year and issued two more albums, Sothis (on Repulse Records) and The Darkest Age: Live ’93 (on Baron Records).

Vader tried to continue touring despite the declining popularity of death metal and the lack of a consistent recording contract. In 1995, they signed a deal with Impact Records, allowing them to maintain a regular album release schedule. Hammerheart Records issued their Necrolust and Morbid Reich demos on CD in 1998, as the band were enjoying their biggest success up to that point with the archival release Reborn in Chaos. They also recorded a live album, a mini-album (Kingdom), and a VHS video that year, and signed a new record deal with Metal Blade. By the time 1999 rolled around, the band were opening for Slayer and had their first headlining American tour.

In 2000, Vader released Litany and the Reign Forever World EP via Metal Blade, the former of which received a Fryderyk nomination. Arriving in 2002, the well-received Revelations also garnered a Fryderyk nomination, as did subsequent studio long-players like Impressions in Blood (2006), Necropolis (2009), and the Nuclear Blast-issued Welcome to the Morbid Reich (2011), the latter of which took home the award for Heavy Metal Album of the Year and charted in seven countries, including the United States. The Go to Hell EP preceded the release of the band’s tenth full-length outing, Tibi et Igni, which was followed in 2016 by the much-anticipated and aptly named Empire. During their two-year tour in support, Vader reconceived their debut long-player and cut The Ultimate Incantation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut release. It was available only on tour, and its homemade packaging misspelled the titles of two tracks in the liner notes.

After a break, the band re-emerged in 2019 with the five-track EP Thy Messenger, followed by the full-length Solitude in Madness in 2020. ~ Bradley Torreano, Rovi