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░█▒█ Artist ■ Immolation █▒█░
░ █▒█ Album ■ Providence █▒█ ░
░█░█ Year ■ 2011 █░█░
█░█ Release Date ■ 2015-02-06 █░█
█░█ Genre ■ Death Metal █░█
█ █ Label ■ Scion Audio Visual █ █
█░█ Source ■ CD EP █░█
█ █ Type ■ Album █ █
█░█ Quality ■ VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █░█
█ █ █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Even though metal dudes can appear tough and even scary on █ █
█ █ the outside, there are often really nice guys under all the █ █
█ █ hair, black cotton, pentagrams and beer stains. The fact █ █
█ █ that death metal stalwarts and legends Immolation released █ █
█ █ a cool little EP called æProvidenceÆ that is free to anyone █ █
█ █ and everyone showcases how much looks can be deceiving (or, █ █
█ █ maybe itÆs my inherent predisposition to judging!). █ █
█ █ Granted, I was surprised to learn that it was presented by █ █
█ █ the hipster box car peddlers Scion (who also put out the █ █
█ █ pretty sweet Enslaved EP æThe Sleeping GodsÆ) , who have █ █
█ █ hamsters dancing to LMFAOÆs æParty Rock AnthemÆ in their █ █
█ █ commercials. I am not sure how I feel about that, but if █ █
█ █ they keep aligning themselves with great acts, then I might █ █
█ █ find myself wearing a tracksuit and rolling around in one █ █
█ █ of their rides doing the party shuffleàwhich I guess is the █ █
█ █ point right? █ █
█ █ Anyway, it also helps that Immolation is awesome. ItÆs not █ █
█ █ eloquent, but itÆs true. There are a lot of free downloads █ █
█ █ (legal and illegal) on the web, but when such a great group █ █
█ █ says æup yoursÆ to profit motive (sans Scion?), it really █ █
█ █ says something about character. These guys care about their █ █
█ █ fans, and they always deliver when it comes to their music, █ █
█ █ attitude, andàawesomeness. Again, not eloquent, but true. █ █
█ █ In the time since their last full length æMajesty and █ █
█ █ DecayÆ (with its very death metal album coveràand the same █ █
█ █ goes for this one!), the group has been touring steadily. █ █
█ █ They had just finished roaming the venues of America and █ █
█ █ Canada with the likes of slammers Jungle Rot (who always █ █
█ █ deliver the best caveman metal around) and wild █ █
█ █ tech-deathers Gigan. It made me very sad that the tour █ █
█ █ passed up Northern California, as I would have greatly █ █
█ █ savored another chance to see Immolation live again with █ █
█ █ such great supporting acts. When I was lounging outside the █ █
█ █ Boardwalk in January 2010 waiting for them to start, I █ █
█ █ didnÆt realize that the band had gone on so I missed half █ █
█ █ of their set. I was very mad at myself. Woe is me! █ █
█ █ Now in 2011, æProvidenceÆ continues the high standard that █ █
█ █ the New Yorkers place upon the music they make. All five █ █
█ █ tracks on the album are blunt and to the point, and as a █ █
█ █ result the band is much less complex than on some of their █ █
█ █ past works, which is much more in character with a shorter █ █
█ █ recording. But each cut retains the warm (an █ █
█ █ understatement) atmosphere present in the half melodic half █ █
█ █ crushing guitar tone and full drum tones. Bob Vigna crafts █ █
█ █ some of the greatest transitions and dissonances this side █ █
█ █ of Gorguts, and will probably continue to do so for the █ █
█ █ foreseeable future. The production sounds a little quiet, █ █
█ █ but I guess we will just have to pump up the volume to our █ █
█ █ discretion. How else is death metal to be played? If itÆs █ █
█ █ not pissing someone off then you need to turn it up! But of █ █
█ █ course, the music means much more than that. █ █
█ █ There is no wasted time here, no ambient build up or █ █
█ █ feedback call and response on the no-nonsense opener æWhat █ █
█ █ They BringÆ which leads seamlessly into the rest of the █ █
█ █ work. The slamming tremolo slashes paired with the lower █ █
█ █ end pummels on the title track no doubt led to much moshing █ █
█ █ on the road and the continued breaking of windows at home. █ █
█ █ The most well conceived track for me is the final one, █ █
█ █ æSwallow the Fear,Æ which uses a very emotional guitar █ █
█ █ motif throughout that builds a sense of passion and █ █
█ █ struggle against a great obstacle. One of the great aspects █ █
█ █ of the track as well as other past works is that the █ █
█ █ phrasing of Ross DolanÆs signature vocals (see the close of █ █
█ █ æFall From A High PlaceÆ). There is always a great sense of █ █
█ █ dynamism between his narrations and the music that █ █
█ █ illustrates them. A short burst of music, a few words. A █ █
█ █ break, a similar breaking trail of growls that do not rely █ █
█ █ on generic punk derived spitting (not that punk spitting is █ █
█ █ a bad thing) █ █
█ █ What makes the vocals even more unique is that their █ █
█ █ lyrical themes have a very humanist and moral bent to them, █ █
█ █ even if they attack Christianity and other topics without █ █
█ █ mincing their words. This is not a bloodthirsty abomination █ █
█ █ from the dark places of the universe calling out to us; it █ █
█ █ is a disgruntled and driven human being who roars with an █ █
█ █ inner heat. And in opposition to the other methods inherent █ █
█ █ in death metal, this approach belies a great level of █ █
█ █ emotional experience and sympathy for the moment where a █ █
█ █ believer loses his/her faith (æOur Savior SleepsÆ even █ █
█ █ hints at a desire for someone to come and save us and our █ █
█ █ world, and 'Father Your Not a Father' leans towards █ █
█ █ possible sympathy for the J man!). █ █
█ █ While the lyrics on æProvidenceÆ do not address their █ █
█ █ subject in the potent way showcased previously, there is an █ █
█ █ almost political bent to them here. And through it all, █ █
█ █ comes the fact that the world continues to spiral downwards █ █
█ █ at the cost of millions of peopleÆs lives and sanity, █ █
█ █ again, they do not hedonistically revel in the violence █ █
█ █ like many other groups. While I am not sure of the groupÆs █ █
█ █ political inclinations, I cannot help but draw a connection █ █
█ █ to the Occupy movement, even if the album was recorded █ █
█ █ before it began in New York City. Whatever comes to mind █ █
█ █ when you hear the music and read the lyrics, its potent █ █
█ █ stuff a cut above the usual blasphemy. █ █
█ █ The group has been around for over 20 years, a fact █ █
█ █ vocalist Ross Dolan made clear when I saw them last year. █ █
█ █ ôThis is a song off of our first album, which is probably █ █
█ █ older than some of you!ö That was not the first or last █ █
█ █ time I heard such a statement. One of the sad facts about █ █
█ █ attending shows with older groups in the lineup is that it █ █
█ █ makes me feel that I do not deserve to be around the genre. █ █
█ █ I hear a lot of the tape trading scene of the past, and how █ █
█ █ it inspired explicit physical connections between a then █ █
█ █ much smaller fanbase all over the world. The internet robs █ █
█ █ much of the mystery of finding such groups and becoming a █ █
█ █ part of the culture in which they reside in. It simply █ █
█ █ cannot happen anymore, and this goes for nearly every fan █ █
█ █ driven genre of music, be it Hip-Hop, punk or even █ █
█ █ avant-garde. Everyone likes death metal, from the old guard █ █
█ █ that supported the New York, Florida and Swedish scenes to █ █
█ █ the scene kids that gather at the Boardwalk here in █ █
█ █ Sacramento (well, the latter group means well!). And people █ █
█ █ (like I) who find such music through the techno-portal can █ █
█ █ simply amass knowledge and love for the music apart from █ █
█ █ its heart. In a way, I am killing metal, and by █ █
█ █ association, killing music! But Immolation knows that the █ █
█ █ times are changingàand thus, we look into the depths with █ █
█ █ æProvidenceÆ today. █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Recommended, along with everything else the band has done. █ █
█ █ Class acts all around. █ █
█ █ █ █
█░█ █░█
█ █ 1. What They Bring 3:18 █ █
█ █ 2. Illumination 3:36 █ █
█ █ 3. Still Lost 3:16 █ █
█ █ 4. Providence 4:13 █ █
█ █ 5. Swallow the Fear 4:40 █ █
█ █ 19:03 █ █
█░█░ █░█░
█░█░ █░█░
█░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒
░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒
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