Imprecation - Satanae Tenebris Infinita

Published June 12 2013

*=Staff's pick	Blood Dominion* From Beyond The Fiery Temples* Hosanna Ex Inferis Angel Of Salvation's Doom The Coils Of Eden* Chapel Of Rotting Flesh Rancid Blood On Blackened Thorns* Of The Black Earth Carrion Winds Of Golgotha

Genre	Death Metal	Dave Herrera	Vocals
Tracks	9	Archfiend	Guitar
Running time	40 Min.	Moon	Guitar
Label	Dark Descent Records	Cerberus	Bass
Release	25 June 2013	Ruben Elizondo	Drums
Country	USA	Ruben Elizondo	Keyboard
Producer	-
Similar artists	Incantation, Archgoat, Dead Congregation

"Do not judge a book by its cover" the old saying goes. Had I stumbled across the cover of Texan horde Imprecation's debut full-length 'Satanae Tenebris Infinita' in my local record store I would probably have dismissed it as another generic Blasphemy-worship album. The aesthetics are all there really; the blurry red logo with the inverted cross, the satanic song titles and the overtly blasphemic black and white cover art. However, 'Satanae Tenebris Infinita' is no generic Blasphemy-worship. The influences are there but the true household gods of Imprecation goes by the name of Incantation.

The first chapter of this opus 'Blood Dominion' opens with furiously heavy up-tempo riffing worthy of their household gods but also bearing some Archgoat and Morbid Angel influences. From the very start Imprecation goes to war, probably on God, and the listener can do nothing but join the frenzy. The drumming is similar to that of Archgoat with the clicking bass drum and the cymbals piercing through the mix like an arrow. Singer Dave Herrera joins the fight after 34 seconds with guttural but well-articulated vocals not too different from a certain John McEntee of Incantation fame. At 1:30 the tempo suddenly drops and a chanting atmospheric synth joins the fellowship. For the first seconds I admit to raising my eyebrows in surprise slowly wondering where this was going. Then it becomes apparent that this trick is enhancing the evil atmosphere brilliantly. The tempo then drops even further and the Incantation-vibes go through the roof with dark doomy atmospheric riffing, before the full-on speed is back and Imprecation wins the day with a chaotic screeching solo.

The opus continues in the same vein but each chapter has an identity of its own which effectively pushes the saga onwards keeping monotony at a minimum. The Morbid Angel-influences become most apparent in 'Angel of Salvation's doom' and for a while I also get heavy vibes from Nocturnus' "Lake of Fire". The riffs in the faster parts of 'Rancid Blood on Blackened Thorns' bears the restrained brutality of Archgoat, whereas the riffage in 'Of the Black Earth' could very well have been found on Incantation's 'Onwards to Golgotha'. Another eyebrow-raiser is found in 'The Coils of Eden' where Imprecation pulls out bombastic chanting synth lines worthy of 'Prometheus'-era Emperor.

The main instruments move as a well-disciplined unit through the battlefields following the command of the guitars. When they change, generally with the tempo, the others follow. Only the guitars ever break rank for a chaotic Blasphemy-esque solo, but the unit always reform rather quickly. The synth joins in when the tempo drops to the slower regions and steps down when the tempo goes up again.

Despite the strong Incantation-influences these Texans never reach the profound dark atmosphere of the Pennsylvania squad, but roam the lands of raw black metal conjuring a primal satanic atmosphere without stepping over the border into Cheeseville. The atmosphere is well maintained and only lost slightly when the Morbid Angel-influences grow strong. The synths are a mighty weapon in producing the atmosphere of 'Satanae Tenebris Infinita' knocking over the old delusion that synths do not belong in death metal. The production is stripped but clear, apart from the aforementioned bass drum that bear the mark of a more lo-fi sound. Creating an atmosphere that is more associated with lo-fi black metal using a clear production must be accredited as somewhat of an achievement.

'Satanae Tenebris Infinita' contains some memorable tremolo-heavy crushing riffs and passages, and each song stands well on its own without the old repetition demon being conjured. 'The Coils of Eden' in particular makes me engage the apple picking position and worship. The numbers of monumental songs though are a bit too few for this opus to reach the level of true excellency. Dave Herrera's vocals are good and do not blend in with your everyday guttural growler but could perhaps be a bit more varied.

The biggest accomplishment of this album is that of combining strong Incantation- and Blasphemy-influences into something that feels fresh and inspiring. Most worshippers of the aforementioned acts tend to stick to the trodden paths of the progenitors showing few tendencies to evolve the sound. Imprecation has done the quite opposite by combining the influences and adding the synth. The outro 'Carrion Winds of Golgatha' forebodes even greater deeds and I for my part eagerly await the next volume in the Imprecation saga.

One should not judge a book by its cover for sure. That will only make the treasures in the sand disappear, treasures such as Imprecation's 'Satanae Tenebris Infinita'. If you enjoy your satanic death metal-moments and do not suffer from synthophobia this is a mandatory look up.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	8	8	7	7

Summary
7,5 chalices of 10 - Tengan