Review by Ben for Immolation - Dawn of Possession (1991)

It's quite difficult for a death metal band to be truly unique, but Immolation have always had an immediately recognisable sound. Dawn of Possession is an incredibly tight and original album, particularly when one considers it was released way back in 1991. Every member of this band does things ever so slightly differently to everyone else, which results in an unusual yet captivating experience.

Guitarists Vigna and Wilkinson create riffs that are dark, crawling evil in audible form. Although it's a unique rhythm sound, if I had to pick an influence, I'd go with Trey Azagthoth from Morbid Angel. The leads are less incredible, with only occasional short bursts that don't come close to Trey's work with the aforementioned band. Smilowski's drumming is interesting throughout, never resting on his laurels for a second. He plays every trick in the book while never losing touch with the musical themes around him. He blasts when necessary, but provides time changes, thunderous beats and rolls all through the 10 tracks. It's an awesome performance! Dolan's vocals are also instantly recognisable, being incredibly low and guttural. He sounds like he's putting hardly any effort into it yet produces such vomitous results that work perfectly with the album's dark atmosphere.

Dawn of Possession is not for the faint of heart. If you're not into death metal, then this isn't the place to start. It's relentlessly suffocating throughout its 42-minute running time. But anyone into bands like Morbid Angel and Gorguts should get this as soon as possible. Highlights are Into Everlasting Fire, Burial Ground and the epic Those Left Behind. Two thumbs up from me!