Review by Sonny for Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2010) Review by Sonny for Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2010)

Sonny Sonny / July 04, 2020 / 0

My ignorance knows no bounds and Inquisition are another band that I have had little interaction with, other than their 1998 album Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult that I quite liked. Anyway, fast forward twelve years to this and the Colombian/US three-piece had become a duo, controversial main man Dagon providing guitar, bass and "vocals" (we'll get to that later) and Incubus the drums.
The music is mainly savage, visceral black metal with pummelling drums and brutal riffs that has quite a full sound for BM making it feel like it was recorded by a death metal producer. The songs flash by and the overall aesthetic is one of overarching cosmic evil. The obvious exception is Desolate Funeral Chant, which as you may have guessed from the title is more in the vein of blackened doom metal with a slower tempo and a more ominous atmosphere than the rest of the album. The most problematic aspect of this release (aside from the questionable morality of at least one of the members) is the previously hinted at vocal performance. It has been most often compared to Abbath's croaking delivery style, but I don't think it is as good as that. The words aren't really sung, but intoned in a little-changing monotone that sounds like a chain-smoking evil goblin with a sore throat. In other words they are an acquired taste and I'm not sure if it's one worth acquiring.
Anyway, to summarise, the music is great, the vocals are certainly unique, albeit divisive and there's a huge moral cloud hanging over the band, making it an interesting listen that leaves you with an ambiguous and uncomfortable feeling after.

Comments (0)