Incantation are somewhat of a legend in the death metal scene. Although plagued by several changes in the lineup and some record label animosities, the John McEntee show never gave up and stood their ground for over 28 years. Proud owners of probably what is the most extensive list of live musicians that I know of, the band proves that they have a consolidated identity even with a large rotation in their ranks.
‘Profane Nexus’ is the eleventh studio album by McEntee and his devilish helpers and will come out via Relapse Records on August 11th. Much like its USDM brothers Immolation, the Pennsylvania natives became an institution of the brutal world by being relentless, fierce, heavy as hell and sometimes even macabre. The story repeats itself this time around, and although not being blessed (or cursed, but that’s also a good thing here) by the swamping creepiness of older classics like ‘Mortal Throne of Nazarene’ or ‘Onward to Golgotha’, the effort does has its fair share of ungodly summoning and creepy passages.
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The gates of hades are unleashed right in the first chords of “Muse”, whose vibrant drumming and doom-ish mid-portion show that the album is set to continue the legacy of 2014’s ‘Dirges of Elysium’. McEntee’s throat ripping vocals are harsh as usual, while the insistent use of the slow-and-steady leads work well throughout the whole song, making it sound apocalyptic. Tracks like the lyrically attractive “Rites of the Locust” and “The Horns of Gefrin” make use of chaotic tempos and brutal atmospheres, balancing the dragged-on instrumental bits marvelously. Those two quickly became favorites of mine in the album, and I’ll most definitely revisit them every time I can.
The kitchen also shines in consonance with McEntee’s talents, with Kyle Severn (drums, Shed the Skin, ex-Acheron) blasting fiercely but surgically on his kit and Chuck Sherwood (bass, ex-Blood Storm) supporting the guitar with competence, although the bass lines just stand in the background (sometimes really far away) on most cases. I can’t help but to think that the album sounds a bit clean and over-polished in comparison to Incantation’s other endeavors and to other albums of the genre in general, which makes it lose some of its malevolence and raw power. This is especially perceptible in “Incorporeal Despair” and “Omens to the Altar of Onyx”.
Of course, the calamitous and short “Xipe Totec”, the ethereal “Stormgate Convulsions from the Thunderous Shores of Infernal Realms Beyond the Grace of God” (yes bro, that’s the name of the song; and yes, it almost gave me finger cramps to write it down) – which is, despite being instrumental and almost entirely atmospheric, one of the best displays of insanity by the band – and the disgraceful and foul “Messiah Nostrum” more than make up for the lack of crudeness by being utterly evil and bizarre. My only other complaint here, in fact, is that some of the tracks feel a bit too long, like “Visceral Exahedron” and closer “Ancients Arise”. The riff repetition and slower tempo make them sound a bit too much of a nuisance for the impatient ones, but I also get why they were constructed like that.
‘Profane Nexus’ is a cataclysmic, claustrophobic and suffocating experience. Even if McEntee toned down the creepiness a little bit compared to its predecessor, the album manages to disturb you beyond your nightmares and drag you to the worst parts of a bizarre and sick underworld realm with fiendish guttural vocals, filthy distorted riffs and profane songwriting. A worthy entry in Incantation’s respectful history.