IMMOLATION
‘Descent’
2026, Nuclear Blast

Sometimes, when we struggle to find adequate words to succinctly express ourselves, our friends help us along. To that end, I defer to the sage words of my dear friend and colleague, Brian Krassman: “How dare IMMOLATION still be making records this good.” Praise be to the never-ending fire.

Entropy is the natural state of all. Eventually, everything will break down. The body withers, joints hurt that didn’t before, you become your own barometer and can do a bit of weather forecasting… That’s how life is, unless you are the entity of IMMOLATION who, amazingly, just keep getting better with every album they release. It’s stupid, as the kids say. At least, I think they still say that.

On the heels of the glorious ‘Acts of God’, 2026 finds IMMOLATION absolutely on fire (not sorry) with ‘Descent’ – an act of outright defiance and hubris against the ravages of time. As vital as anything ever committed to tape in the past, ‘Descent’ radiates a pitch black effect of all consuming death metal wrath, wrought by ardent students of the most ancient of forms.

Where would we be without the China splash cymbal? It has heralded the coming of most exquisite aural beatings since forever, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it harbinger. Enter then, the first 12 seconds of album opener “These Vengeful Winds”. So breathtaking in its deftness, a most unsubtle announcement that IMMOLATION has returned, scorched earth policy intact, and nobody took the time to warn you. The drums really stand out, the sonority of the toms absolutely impenetrable, likely incanting some hitherto unknown and unknowable force. Every other instrument shines as well, the recording crisp like the nuclear winter we’re all pretending isn’t on the not too distant horizon. Speaking of sonority, Ross Dolan’s vocals are positively abyssal.

The death metal that IMMOLATION deals in has never been fashionable. It is not compressed to being mid anything, there are flowing dynamics to the compositions on display and each album is a true testament to the idea of a living document. By that I mean, like all the best art, repeated visits result in different outcomes every time. Having sat with, walked with, and attempted in all ways to absorb ‘Descent” over the past while, I can confidently say this is once again the case.

Lyrically, ‘Descent’ finds the band actively philosophizing with hammers, wrenches, the kitchen sink, and a healthy amount of agnostic questioning that almost verges, at times, as philosophy unto itself. Thinking man’s death metal. There’s a lot of it out there.

So what is the bottom line amongst an endless sea of releases all clamoring for attention? ‘Descent’ should be near the top. You’ll feel burned otherwise.

4.5 Out Of 5.0