Imprecation – Satanae Tenebris Infinita

Imprecation decided to part ways in 1998. In 2002, Ruben, Phil, Wes and Dave reunite to play the ‘Infernal Horde of Manifestation’ Fest in Houston, Texas. Bass player, Mark Beecher, was not available to play in this event. The show was recorded live and released on cassette, which successfully sold 100 tapes. …. Now years later, they return again! Here is our track-by-track review of their new release ‘Satanae Tenebris Infinita’.

Blood Dominion

I think it is thundering, no sorry it’s just Imprecation doing what comes naturally to them. Stupendous growls run amok in a feverish frenzy of evil amid a density of drum beats fired up with a surging guitar, sounding good on all levels with a hypnotic rhythm offering a good balance to this track.

From beyond the fiery Temple

Quite doom laden and slow in delivery building tempestuously into a huge musical melodic cacophony. Ultimately powerful with bombastic vocal and a superb bit of guitar work.

Hosanna Ex Inferis

Very heavy guitar opens this track with another consistent doom effect of disturbing vibrations but great melodic wash that lifts the mood somewhat. Fascinating and intense propelling you to a high peak with disgruntled vocal – a good touch!

Angel of Salvation’s Doom

Executing some great rhythms and a huge gurgle of growls it is a winner. Nice and heavy with abrasive vocals will always have a pull for me.  This is driven with sheer vengeance and creates a clear path of unbridled passion. The guitar literally neighs like a wild horse adding great depth to the track.

The Coils of Eden

A short respite from the brutal? We shall see as the eerie ambient keyboard comes into view amid a building drum beat and an unusual twist of raucous guitar as it chugs with a venomous bite and adds serious variation. The horse is back frantically neighing in appreciation to the saturation of dark and foreboding rapturous delights.

Chapel of Rotting Flesh

Atmospheric disturbance of the heavy doom laden kind with gnarly growls that feed the high velocity sounds be them tempered and deliberate. The structure of the track is creeping and engaging with venomous twists so quite a unique mix with a good chug and startling melody.

Rancid Blood

The riffs literally pour like congealed blood on a cold slab of cold rhythms iced to perfection with gnarly vocals entwining above and beyond the complacent beats, moulding the track with an encapsulating expression.

Of the Black Earth

The feverish tension builds be it slow but plods on with a doom laden feel, resulting in a low key tempo, however the riffs give it that engaging tone cultivating a certain rawness with lots of visceral prowess.

Carrion winds of Golgotha

A sophisticated track that oozes a symphonic keyboard amid the sound of thunder. The keys rolling like waves washing up on a deserted shore. Stark and resounding, the listener waits with baited breath for the fireworks to start, but only clanking and keyboard can be heard amid more thunder, so the moment has been lost in time forever.

Overall not a bad album but can feel a little bit ‘samey’ in places, although the swelling rhythms and deep gruff vocal adds to the ambiance and there are higher more up tempo moments deep within its body of doom and even flourishes on a lot of occasions giving the listener a slight dose of variation, especially the squealing raucous guitars, although I found more blackened doom moments rather than death metal moments to be had here, not that, it is a bad thing far from it, but slightly confusing as the genre states Death Metal.

However it has its moments of ‘gory’ and offers straightforward dark growls with ambience, but I feel the band should release the throttle and let rip totally in order to keep the album up to full speed rather than at half cock, but none the less a good listen.

 Imprecations ‘Satanae Tenerbris Infinita’ is to be released 25^th June 2013 via Dark Descent Records.

8/10