Best Songs On Immolation's Unholy Cult
Unholy Cult is the fifth studio album, released in 2002, by the New York-based death metal band Immolation. The album is probably the band's most technical album, in terms of complexity and songwriting, alongside their sophomore record, Here In After. It's high in tempo, the drum work is fantastic, and the technical guitar work is masterful.
Immolation takes an avant-garde approach with black metal's rhythmic tendencies. The sludgy bass work gets drilled into your head, and you can't help but feel immense happiness within. The power-charged drumming and insane twisty riffing midway into the song reek of blasphemy. Rival the Eminent is, in my opinion, one of the all-time most remarkable death metal songs.
It starts with an infectious intro riff propelled by relentless drumming and a violent atmosphere. Rob Vigna conjures up an unsettling melodic solo at around the 4-minute mark, and his presence of mind and synchronization with the drummer just blows my mind. Immolation displays its prowess with the signature outro riff.
Reminiscent of Christ's Cage off Here In After, the intro creeps in with an ominous acoustic riff before the drummer barges in with a sinister onslaught of technical aggression. The song then descends into a combination of cyclical dissonance and a wall of ferocious blast beats until it finally transitions into a groove-laden riff delight.
Reluctant Messiah is probably the most guitar-centric track on the album, with engaging bass lines and thought-provoking lyrics. The instrumentation complements the lyrical content with slower, menacingly driven riffs, waves of crashing cymbals, and excellent use of an atonal melody at around 2:52 into the song.
Immolation and catchy music may sound like an oxymoron. Well, this track breaks that mold. The whirlwind of riffs and rolling double bass patterns following that punishing breakdown at around 1:42 proves to be the ultimate carnage - perfect headbanging material. Ross Dolan's infernal growls further intensify the music.
The monumental closer, Bring Them Down, is a slow march toward hell. Right off the bat, it greets your ears with militant blasting and jaw-dropping double-bass pedaling. The wizardry of Rob Vigna, once again, lights up the track with back-to-back screaming virtuosic solos with the melodic outro at 3:05, evoking a post-apocalyptic vision.
Laden with odd rhythms and dissonant chords, Sinful Nature features some aggressive and memorable riffs, especially at 1:09. The soundscape is oppressive and unrelenting, with constant changes in chords and wickedly fast guitar solos. The thicker production enables a suitable environment for all the good attributes of the song to shine.
A Kingdom Divided is the fastest track on the album, with some catchy mid-paced breakdown sections and passages of ripping blast beats. This track is where the drummer, Alex Hernandez, sounds like a vile, mechanical beast unleashing his wrath and inflaming the drum set.