Let’s face it – blasphemy can be humorous. Taking the piss out of the self-righteous, however, has evolved in most cases into an overused joke whose novelty has faded. A parody that has ceased to be cutting edge, dangerous or even funny due to overexposure. Don’t get me wrong – I like Jesus jokes as much as the next guy. But a vocalist “raising the horns” and mentioning Satan while strutting on stage before a rapt audience has become much too commonplace. All too often nothing more than a half-assed stab at credibility in the rebellion department or a cheap way to pander to a predominantly teenage crowd – eliciting the same enthusiastic response as does bragging of binge drinking or smoking pot. That is why the world of music is in dire need of a band like Incantation, who has based its decade-long career on setting genuine blasphemy to music. Like the five full-length albums preceding it, The Infernal Storm is an almost tangible declaration of a band committed to the downfall and subsequent obliteration of the Christian chokehold on the collective unconscious of the world.
At first glance The Infernal Storm has most of the distinguishing characteristics of a great Incantation album. The band’s familiar brand of death metal that casts off blistering speed and mind-boggling technicality for a more rough edged and mid-paced brutality. Well written songs. The easily distinguishable artwork of Miram Kim. And a revamped line up. Again. In fact, turmoil and upheaval within the band are as expected as the apocalyptic and demonic lyrics. This usually is not much of an issue, since the vibrant core of John McEntee and Robert Yench have an uncanny knack for handpicking suitable replacements for the dearly departed – like living legend Dave Culross, whose heralded handiwork with Suffocation and Malevolent Creation garnered him a well-earned spot on the roster. Yet filling the gap left by vocalist Daniel Corchado – who defected for a full-time position in the Chasm – has been a bit more problematic. Enter Mike Saez. A solid guitarist with lungs as iron as his reputation. An adequate replacement.
But “adequate” doesn’t quite cut it – especially for a band with the stature and reputation of Incantation. Of immediate notice is Saez’s monotonous vocal delivery, a deep and rumbling scraping sound that fails to match the multidimensional assault of Corchado’s vocal chords. It did capture my attention but for the wrong reasons. I found myself clinging to every growled syllable, anticipating a glorious raise in pitch or a bloodcurdling scream that would announce that Saez had indeed broken out of his shell. But it was all for naught.
To dub this deficiency the lone pitfall of the album, however, would neither be fair nor accurate. The music deviates little or none from our expectations. Yet it fails to gel like previous releases. But in all fairness, it should not be overlooked that one-half of the line up was replaced prior to entering the studio. In other words, the chemistry is not quite there. Not yet. Only time will tell if things will indeed fall into place for the current incarnation of Incantation. If it makes it that far.
Can I define The Infernal Storm as a lackluster effort? Hardly. It is chock full of slowly twisting riffs that build and tumble through a labyrinthine maze of blasphemous darkness. Still a solid listen. But if you wish to hear Incantation during its finest hour, take a gander a bit further back in the discography.
