black metal Inquisition (Washington state, USA) -- streaming new album Black Mass for a Mass Grave

Below is a share of the YouTube link that is streaming the new Inquisition album. For information purposes, below is a review that is already up on Metal Archives. The review is not written by Metal Bulletin Zine. It is here for your information, in case that you would like to see what reviews are saying. The review below is from a devoted fan that gave it a perfect rating of 100 out of 100. Anyway, read it in agreement or with skepticism. The important thing is to listen to the album yourself and see what you think.

Inquisition

Black Mass for a Mass Grave

Agonia Records

November 20th, 2020

1. Spirit of the Black Star 05:17

2. Luciferian Rays 06:34

3. Necromancy Through a Buried Cosmos 06:25

4. Triumphant Cosmic Death 07:12

5. My Spirit Shall Join a Constellation of Swords 07:03

6. Ceremony for the Gathering of Death 01:27

7. Majesty of the Expanding Tomb 05:48

8. A Glorious Shadow from Fire and Ashes 06:26

9. Extinction of Darkness and Light 05:39

10. Hymn to the Absolute Majesty of Darkness and Fire 06:33

11. Beast of Creation and Master of Time 04:25

12. Black Mass for a Mass Grave 01:55

01:04:44

Four years after the release of Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith comes Black Mass for a Mass Grave, with a disappointingly short album title and diverse tracks from front to back (minus the aforementioned title of course). I have given this record about three or four full listens now, and I have to say that this is definitely better than a couple of the band's older releases. Enough rambling now, onto the contents contained within.

The production is more or less in keeping with Bloodshed and Obscure's sound. A crisp yet not overproduced sound, which lets every note played be heard. Nothing really tends to get buried here, and I believe that there is a bass presence here as well, keeping with Bloodshed's use of bass guitar, which gives the album as a whole a beefier and fuller sound. The leads here are some of the best Dagon has ever written for this band. Think of a toned down version of Inversion of the Ethereal White Stars' leads all throughout the record. Not as high up on the fret board as that song's leads were, nor as bright sounding as those leads. Here, they more so create a sublime and almost lush atmosphere over the rhythm guitars, and as a person who generally prefers melody to brutality, this really hits the spot. Vocally, this album stays more in line with Bloodshed's vocal style, and less with the frog vocals of years and albums past. Even as someone who really liked the frog vocals, I think I might like these more honestly. They just sound right. Drumming wise, this may be my favorite album of theirs. Incubus really shows off what he can really do on this album. He isn't always blasting away. A lot of the drumming is more akin to a typical rock beat anyone plays when warming up on drums, which I like. Thomas really displays what he is capable of, both technically, and feel wise. Here, he isn't afraid to pull things back and add some simplicity. Everything here in the album as a whole really fits together is what I'm trying to say. Nothing overpowers another thing. Nothing is forgettable. Everything is just simply amazing.

The next logical step here would be to point out a few favorite songs and standout moments on the record as a whole. My Spirit Shall Join a Constellation of Swords is quite a track. It's probably my favorite doomier song on this album, and it's also quite melodic too. Spirit of the Black Star, the first song on the album, contains a nice mixture of the more upfront melodic sound of this album and the signature brutality of Inquisition. However, my favorite track off this album has got to be the song with the Goliath title of Hymn to the Absolute Majesty of Darkness and Fire. A mid pace song that clocks in just barely over six and a half minutes. If you thought Spirit of the Black Star was the true melting pot of the best ideas on the album. It isn't. It's this song right here. It has the mid pace sections of Swords, the melody of Luciferian Rays, mix of drumming on display throughout the whole album. This may in my top song by this band now. If there was one song I had to recommend anyone, it would be this song, for it is the concoction within a cauldron filled with ingredients of every other song on the record.

This has got to be my favorite release of 2020, and eleven and a half months into the year, I doubt it'll be dethroned from its position as my favorite of the year. A truly sublime experience worth experiencing.

INQUISITION - Black Mass for a Mass Grave (Official Album Stream)