Imprecation channeled a brutal form of underground metal with its twisted and morbid cacophony of death and black metal, the new studio album is a demonic pandemonium that captures the hellish aesthetics of blackened death metal. With brutality and church organs infused into the composition of the opening track “Reborn in Fire”, the brutal tradition of the churning guitars and the frantic drums are channeling semi-doom passages. The 10 tracks are firmly solid as they invoke the classic style of satanic death metal, with the guitar tone sounding heavier and chunkier while the music echoes with feverish synth passages. “Angus Dei (Spill the Blood)” is a demonic setter balanced between crushing death and brutality, the roaring growls cascading with the slow-paced drums.

The signature sound and abrupt pacing changes build on the heavy effect of the guitars. There are many inspiring moments especially when the drums shifts to a mid-pace tempo and the guitars feel subterranean. Next is “Ars Goetia” which begins with a colossal riff that builds on the slow pacing of the percussion. With the production enhancing the effect of the instruments, the songs sound raw and brutal. In addition, the guitar department perfectly masters the flow as they add more textures to the song structure. “In Nomine Diaboli” shows the Texan quartet in its strongest form, offering a slew of demonic brutal death metal anthems.

The drums are pummeling and simply brilliant, “Bringer of Sickness” offers many variations, beginning with a chilling synth that creates some creepy ominous moments. Evil brutality and feverish plague permeate the album, the tone of the vocals ranges from low grunts to deep roaring growls. Imprecation has improved the quality of songwriting on the third album, the most improving aspect is the great prowess of the drummer Ruben Elizondo (RIP). There is more quality in the riffing as they maintain an energetic level. “Black Communion” is a dark obscure track full of bludgeoning drums and double bass, the guitars encompass speed, brutality and there are some frenzy solos but the drums truly steal the show.

“Devil’s Furnace” is a brutal pandemonium where the tempo changes are all over the place, while this is still one of the fastest songs where the drums culminate on relentless brutality and aggression. The dark bleak sensation fuels the theme of the music, “In Nomine Diaboli” has an abrasive and brutal sound as a whole.The remaining tracks like “Thorns of Hate” are poised to mid-paced tempo and the guitars build on creating an ominous atmosphere that somehow comes close to the sound of Incantation.

The use of synth fits well with the band’s overall sound and adds bleakness, not feeling forced but rather maintain the dark tone. “Forward the Spears” then descends into a heavier tone with the rumbling wail of blast beats and churning death metal riffs, there are moments when the brooding riffs create a wicked atmosphere. Imprecation took the composition of their previous albums and made some innovative changes in the song structure while keeping the foundation of its sound intact. The third album offers a brutal mix of blast beats where for instance “Stigmata Wounds” stands as one of the strongest tracks the band has ever written. The ominous synth intro creates some evil sensation before the guitars and drums morph into the prime old-school sound of the ’90s death metal.

Low-pitched growls pave the way for the drums to bludgeon your soul, these key moments really show the skills of tackling the authentic style of death metal which comes very close to the NY style of death metal. Vicious riffs showcase the pure genius of this band in possessing creative ways of conveying a whole range of styles. The closing track “My Kingdom Awaits (Let Us Prey)” is an excellent example of how the synth is utilized, though there are some similarities to black metal bands. Although the track is filled with an evil atmosphere, there are some pummeling drums and the frantic riffing that follows the pacing of the drums and the effective juxtaposition of the synth is just perfect.

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