• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Immolation, a band that should require no introduction but for some reason they never picked. Needless to say that I know little about them (other than they were at the start of the New York Death Metal scene), in fact the first time that I listened to this album I didn't like much. Then I listened to Majesty and Decay and decided to give this one another chance. I am glad that I did.

Dawn of Possession has all the things that I like from the genre: guttural vocals, tight musicianship and an overall anti-religion theme. Songwriting-wise Immolation take the epic approach as most of the songs have that feeling and combined with the great amount of heaviness, it makes this stand out from the pack. Not only that but the riffs that are present here are second to none and there are a lot of time shifts in every song so you don't feel like you have been listening to the same thing over and over. Tracks like "Into Everlasting Fire", "No Forgiveness (Without Bloodshed)" and "Immolation" will bring a smile to fans that are tired of three minute songs of constant blast beats that go nowhere.

Moreover, this is not simple Death Metal that I'm talking about here, these guys know what they're doing, that is pretty much obvious, (especially with Ross Dolan and Robert Vigna). These people are very good musicians that carry to perfection their songwriting ideas, even though they may sometimes lose the listener in the process. Production-wise this is one of the best jobs I've ever heard, you can hear every note perfectly the way the band intended to while still maintaining their raw edge and power. If there is anything wrong with the album it is that most of the solos start out the same way but I'm willing to overlook that since this enhances the songs.

At the end of the day, Dawn of Possession is an extremely impressive debut. For me the album was a grower, the more times that I've listened to it, the more I like it and found it much better than I remember. While I don't consider this the best Death Metal album ever made, it is a classic and a tremendously influential stepping stone in the genre. I don't know if this is their best work but one thing I do know is that every metal fan should have this record or at least listen to it one time in their life.