Miraculous divinization, polis appointed apotheosis or whatever vore-like ambitions cross-eyed mysticism might invoke in hopeful merger with the bodies of the firmament the transformation from fodder (believer) to the pantheon cannot amount to redemption for the individual, at least not far beyond carbonization. If inverted in process, grinding the godhede down among the detritus through a mill of belittlement by the non-believer, only then in descension would enlightenment come to the ill-fated plebian. Motivated by violent, uncontrollable anger and spouting visions of bizarre occultic transcendence Pennsylvania-based death metal quartet Incantation return for a thirteenth full-length intent on distilling their techne down to signature which is still capable of expansion, amplifying the brutality of their core voice while emphasizing the dynamism they’d achieved long before many peers. Adaptive classicist solidarity is and continues to be their telos in a nutshell and pure death metal their inimitable serpent’s offer.

Since I’ve covered the New Jersey-borne and always consistent three decade plus career of John McEntee‘s Incantation extensively in the past, most recently in a too-detailed review of their twelfth LP (‘Sect of Vile Divinities‘, 2020), the major conversation to be had about album number thirteen doesn’t necessarily have to stray too far from updated context. There are certainly eras of the band defined by various members, producers, and such which allows every fan to choose their own favorites but nostalgia only just allows us to take stock today that Incantation have never sucked, and never lost sight and sound of death metal. This continues to ring true beyond 2020 as the gears haven’t stopped turning per the touring band (arguably a slightly different entity) have finally been able to punch out their thirty year anniversary shows while ‘Unholy Deification‘ quickly pushes into the conversation. Is it just another solid LP from the group since they’d entered a reinvigorated era during the 2010’s? As a long-standing fan of the band this is (thus far) my favorite record from the band since ‘Dirges of Elysium‘ (2014) and primarily because it accesses a more complete sense of the nuance per their whole discography while still taking an extra aggressive stab one would expect from one of the most important names per the thrash ’til USDM zeitgeist.

Hammered down trills, pinch harmonics, heavy-handed doom metal afflicted grooves, bursts of erratic thrashing speed… the core vernacular one would want from Incantation‘s guitar work all resounds throughout ‘Unholy Deification‘. Though it might be considered one of their more direct, aggressive records in recent memory the full spread is all-in here if you’ve the patience for letting ’em cook and flit between ideas at a rapid pace. The new official inclusion to the studio ranks today includes second guitarist Luke Shively of Dismemberment who isn’t necessarily new to the group, having guested on the prior release and toured with the band for some time. We do see some consistency of placement with the similarly holistic-minded ‘Sect of Vile Divinities‘ here on its follow in terms of the solos/leads but they are now slightly less, eh, rocking out with it and instead focused on a sinister atmospheric touch most of the time; Expect a heavier, more insistent, most grotesque spirit upon approach of this record and especially when noting the deeper register applied to McEntee‘s vocals, one of his meanest and most guttural performances from him in the last decade (not including side projects.) This especially hits on “Concordat (The Pact) I” to start as its humming guitar progressions and the cavernous presence of McEntee lurches together into the doomed lunge near the end of the song, giving me a hint of ‘The Ending Quest‘ in its hurling struggle-out (see also: “Circle (Eye of Ascension) VII”).

While some pieces on Side A are more on fire than others in terms of riff count and note-for-note quality of rhythmic statement (“Chalice (Vessel Consanguineous) VIII” being comparatively mid, for example) no doubt the tempo is up to start and production values have accounted for a greater density of ideas on ‘Unholy Deification‘. Opener “Offerings (The Swarm) IV” begins with a set of plain four-count death metal action off the rip but quickly finds a heinous, sludged-at groove beyond the opening salvo. These sort of quick-change moments run up in a line within most compositions herein, avoiding any sense of droning on within any one focal point too long. The greater success of this album should hit right then and there, they’ve keep it moving in terms of ideas and it all ends up locking into place as an entertaining death metal record front to back after a few spins.

Doomed to transcend into damned hereafter. — The Celtic Frost-esque burn of the guitar tone on “Homunculus (Spirit Made Flesh) IX” and its down-stroked main riff has this intense doom metallic flavor as the piece progresses beyond ~2:35 minutes, lending the album its first serious taste of another prime signature element of Incantation‘s sound taken to a different extreme, some of the most literal doom metal riffcraft we’ve gotten from them in a short while. This is arguably the point where the band’ve revealed the larger thread and kept pulling, lining up the main conversation the album intends to present at a harried rate of ideas and now begins to lean into it with pieces that generally mirror that verve be they faster burners, such as “Invocation (Chthonic Merge) X“, or pieces which run the gamut of their range such as the impressive “Convulse (Words of Power) III”. Side B more-or-less finds parity with the spikier rub of Side A leaving the listening experience feeling well-balanced in its overall run and consistent in its aggressive vault.

Theorizing sinister evolution by way of inverted divinity and lending narrative to themes of transcendence, of flesh unto deified husk the lyrics on ‘Unholy Deification‘ come from bassist Chuck Sherwood who’d essentially left Blood Storm to join the band back in 2008. You might recall he’d had a big hand in the lyrics for ‘Profane Nexus‘ (2017) as well wherein a core subject was given a similar variety of literate treatments. For this album the lyrics don’t appear to amount to a storyline so much as they manifest more a thread of fantastical scenery/subjects presented out of order, unified by the concept of becoming as a ‘god’ from an occult-minded perspective. Richly detailed cover art once again from Eliran Kantor suits this idea quite well in terms of an unreal Eldritch beast razing the land, culling inhabitants before ejecting their souls into the atmosphere. The idea is not only well curated per its lyrics and overall aesthetic but ultimately outshines the strange, less compelling result of ‘Sect of Vile Divinities‘, at least at face value.

Thirteen albums and countless tours later no doubt Incantation can still pull it off, they’d already proven that well enough in the early 2010’s, yet here over three decades into their gig I suppose what surprises me about ‘Unholy Deification‘ is that their attack still feels vital, their place in the pantheon doesn’t feel like a thing of the past when I’m down in the depths of this record. Even if it amounts to stepping up with a deadlier strike that’d always been a big deal in my book as a fan of the band and in this case it yields a memorable death metal record worth revisiting. A high recommendation.

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