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/:: Artist :: Inquisition ::\
:: Album :: Nefarious Dismal Orations ::
:: Year :: 2025 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: Black Metal Store R.date :: 2025-03-15 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: BMS124 S.date :: 2025-02-06 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 299kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 104.15MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. Ancient Monumental War Hymn 5:44 ::
:: 2. Nocturnal Gatherings and Wicked Rites 5:37 ::
:: 3. Strike of the Morning Star 5:03 ::
:: 4. Through the Infinite Sphere Our Majesty Shall Rise 5:38 ::
:: 5. Infernal Evocation of Torment 2:57 ::
:: 6. Where Darkness Is Lord and Death the Beginning 7:22 ::
:: 7. Nefarious Dismal Orations 4:13 ::
:: 8. Enter the Cult 3:43 ::
:: 9. Before the Symbol of Satan We Bow and Praise 5:58 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 46:15 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: The release of Inquisition's fourth full-length black metal ::
:: album marks a return to, or perhaps journey to for the first ::
:: time, an incredibly dark form of black metal. Those familiar ::
:: with the earlier black metal work of this band will recall the ::
:: sort of anthemic style, songs that come off more as songs of ::
:: unholy victories than of death and depression. The band claims ::
:: that this album is "metal 1000%", and they are telling the ::
:: truth. ::
:: ::
:: Nefarious Dismal Orations is Inquisition's heaviest album yet. ::
:: The production is a subtle change, with less bite in the treble ::
:: range of the guitars, louder vocals which also appear more and ::
:: more in the midrange rather than exclusively low-midrange/bass, ::
:: and a denser but clearer mix of sounds. The drumming is typical ::
:: Inquisition brilliance, with an overwhelming bass drum pulse ::
:: and steady, methodical cymbal work. ::
:: ::
:: Easily the catchiest, and also one of the best songs on the ::
:: album, Strike of the Morning Star, is the only remnant of the ::
:: older, "happier" style of Inquisition. It is easily on par with ::
:: similar songs from Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan, such ::
:: as Hail the King of All Heathens and Rituals of Human Sacrifice ::
:: for Lord Baal. Strike of the Morning Star is the anomaly ::
:: though. Not in quality, but in atmosphere. In general there are ::
:: fewer lead parts and not as many slower, ballad-like bridges. ::
:: The net result of this is a relentless, hypnotic experience. ::
:: ::
:: Deviating more often from the simple riffing structure that has ::
:: worked so brilliantly in the past, Inquisition meddles in the ::
:: more atonal region on this album. Another major change is, as I ::
:: mentioned, more vocal ventures into the upper midrange. Despite ::
:: the fact that Dagon's vocals have been consistently ::
:: extraordinary on previous works, this experimentation achieves ::
:: a positive result and vocals which are better able to match the ::
:: darker mood of many of the songs. And of course, the higher ::
:: presence of them in the mix can only be considered a good ::
:: thing, especially considering that Dagon has impeccable ::
:: restraint as far as using vocals sparsely at times to create ::
:: the best possible effect. ::
:: ::
:: I have a few negative things to say about this album, though ::
:: they are quite minor in the scheme of things. Less of a ::
:: complaint about the album and more to do with simple nostalgia ::
:: is the fact that I do miss the brilliant lead melodies which ::
:: were more abundant on previous albums. Don't be fooled, this ::
:: album works perfectly without them. In fact, it is safe to say ::
:: that the increased aggressiveness and gloom of this album allow ::
:: a slightly stripped down approach to the songwriting. ::
:: Fortunately, Strike of the Morning Star gives just enough of ::
:: that melody to satisfy. ::
:: ::
:: I find that the album tends to drag ever so slightly towards ::
:: the back half. Individually, the songs are stellar. The title ::
:: track is in true Inquisition title track form, and while the ::
:: closer is not up to par with the legendary Imperial Hymn for ::
:: Our Master Satan, it is a powerful conclusion to the album. The ::
:: main source of the drag I believe is a slightly less diverse ::
:: mix of styles. If you aren't focusing intently on the last few ::
:: songs, they tend to blur together more easily than old ::
:: Inquisition, because though independently very good, they are ::
:: all roughly the same speed and style. ::
:: ::
:: In the end, I have very little negative to say about this ::
:: album, and its greatness far outweighs its downfalls. To sum it ::
:: up in comparison to other Inquisition, I say this. It is darker ::
:: and heavier than any previous album, it is a definite ::
:: improvement over Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer, a close ::
:: rival to Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult with ::
:: regards to its hypnotic capabilities and atmosphere, and ::
:: arguably very near as good, overall, as Invoking the Majestic ::
:: Throne of Satan... ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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