Incantation - Mortal Throne of Nazarene

Albums I like a lot: Part IX

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on November 2nd 2021)

At the start of this series of reviews, I mentioned how Tomb Mold got me into what is commonly referred to as “caverndeath”. As one would expect, my journey through this microgenre inevitably brought me to the New York scene, and the subject of today’s review, Incantation. The (at the time) New York stalwarts immediately struck a chord with me, and quickly became one of my favourite bands in general. Finding them after so much digging felt like I had struck gold, and no album of theirs exemplifies that better than their sophomore, Mortal Throne of Nazarene.
First things first, this album is fucking dank. The production is drenched in reverb and everything just feels massive, as if it was recorded in well, a cave. The guitars are crushing, the drums are pummelling, and the bass provides even more low end, creating an album that is dense not only musically, but sonically as well. I would also be remiss not to mention Craig Pillard’s monstrous vocals. His overbearing presence adds a layer of malevolence to the entire album which everyone has spent the better part of the last 15 years trying to emulate, but seemingly no one has managed to capture its essence.
Now, the production is good and all, but Incantation’s trademark songwriting style is what truly grabbed me and just refused to let go. The band’s mix of frenzied high-speed tremolo riffs and crushing doom sections might seem slapdash and random at first, but with every repeat listen things make more and more sense. The way the riffs unfold and crumble into one another in an unpredictable manner in tracks like “Demonic Incarnate”, “Nocturnal Dominium” and “The Ibex Moon”, make for a very full experience that takes multiple listens to digest.
Despite the erratic and constantly shifting nature of the songwriting, there are plenty of memorable and catchy moments to be found here. Well, truth be told they aren’t exactly hummable either, but every track has more than a handful of riffs that manage to wedge themselves in your head, especially with repeat listens. The aforementioned “The Ibex Moon” has what is arguably the band’s single greatest moment in that gnarly opening, with the drumroll that plays into that crawling descending riff. In the time after I listened to this album, I’ve not found a single band in this style that has managed to create a moment as crushing as this, and if that’s not a testament to Incantation’s writing chops I don’t know what is.
Mortal Throne of Nazarene is one of those albums that just rule. It’s something that is hard to put into words because of how good it is, and its influence on death metal can be felt to this day. Incantation’s always been a very consistent band, with an output that in my eyes ranges from “good” to “this album”. There are some other albums in their catalogue that try to grasp at its greatness, but end up falling short. It’s essential death metal listening and if you haven’t listened to it already you’re doing yourselves a massive disservice.
Highlights: Demonic Incarnate, Nocturnal Dominium, The Ibex Moon, Abolishment of Immaculate Serenity

Rating: 100% 

  

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