Columbian Seattle-based black metal band Inquisition have returned once more. Despite controversy regarding the duo's belief systems among other things, topics that have been pretty commonplace for the genre since its inception, they have managed to perservere musically. The result is yet another long-titled album, Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith through Season of Mist. I have had some misgivings myself about this group in the past due to the aforementioned controversy as well as their intensely Satanic lyrics, but I can't help but be impressed by their unique musicianship and vocal approach. Once more, morbid curiousity has gotten the better of me.
The croaking returns. Dagon's voice continues to evolve as it has since their early albums, but his frog-like tendencies still help the band stand out from the pack. They are a bit of an acquired taste, but I have come to really appreciate them. Their amphibian/serpentlike qualities fit the ouroboros of evil that is Inquisition. And if there ever was a single black metal group to attribute that word to, it would be this one. The tracks on Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith are among the most ominous, iniquitous I have come across in my time as a metal acolyte. Even the instrumental title track sounds like pure worship of darkness.
While all of the tracks here feature a certain discordant and "bendy" quality to the driving hooks, my personal favorites tend to incorporate some semblence of a melody. A less invested listener could easily pass off the music of Inquisition as more noisey, harsh black metal mayhem and depravity, but unlike groups like Mayhem, there is an intense attention to composition. "From Chaos They Come," "Wings of Anu," and "Vortex from the Celestial Flying Throne of Storms" among others all maintain a certain level of shifting dynamics from the plodding, menacing slow-picked parts to the furious tremolo and blastbeats. And the reverb-laden solos are glorious. The band is impressively capable in evoking malevolent imagery via axe just as well as directly through lyrics.
In sum, I am always torn when it comes to these guys. On the one hand I commend them for how adept they are as songwriters and musicians. On the other hand, their proficiency at invoking the name of Satan and other imagery of the occult can be disconcerting for someone raised with a Christian background. I'm far from the most religious person out there, but it has been ingrained within me enough to make listening to certain bands somewhat uncomfortable. But on the other, other hand, this is in a way another triumph of this album. Considering I can listen to Burzum and Dissection without much pause, the fact that this is what puts me at odds with myself is telling. And isn't that what good art does? Make one question things? I may not agree with the ideals, but I appreciate things that make me ponder myself and other things. That is the way to discovery and growth.