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Immolation is an American
death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
band from
Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...
. They are considered one of the leaders of the New York death metal scene along with
Incantation An incantation, spell, charm, enchantment, or bewitchery is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung, or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremonial ri ...
, Mortician and
Suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are m ...
.


History

Immolation was founded after the demise of Rigor Mortis (NY), a band formed in May 1986 by Andrew Sakowicz (bass guitar, vocals) Dave Wilkinson (drums), and Robert Vigna (guitar). After recording the ''Decomposed'' and ''Warriors of Doom'' demos, Sakowicz left the band in early 1988 and was replaced by Ross Dolan, and the band's name was changed to "Immolation". The new lineup put out two studio demos, in 1988 and 1989, and gained a worldwide following in the underground death metal scene. Immolation signed a record deal with
Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...
and released their debut album '' Dawn of Possession'' in 1991. After leaving Roadrunner, the band released "Stepping on Angels," a compilation of demo releases and live tracks. In 1995 the band was signed by
Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...
and released three albums: '' Here in After'', '' Failures for Gods'', and '' Close to a World Below''. After their second album, drummer Craig Smilowski left the band and was replaced by Alex Hernandez. Their next three albums, '' Unholy Cult'', '' Harnessing Ruin'', and '' Shadows in the Light'' were released by French label
Listenable Records Listenable Records is an independent metal label officially founded in 1997 in France. The label specializes in metal, with a focus on extreme metal music. Releasing 7inches by soon to be legendary bands like Immortal, My Dying Bride, in its e ...
and Century Media in the US. In May 2001, Immolation were the headliners for a tour in Europe with supporting bands: Deranged, Deströyer 666, Decapitated and
Soul Demise Soul Demise is a German melodic death metal band from Neumarkt in Bavaria, founded in 1993 as Inhuman. Their musical style is mainly influenced by the Swedish band At the Gates and their ''Gothenburg'' sound. Guitarist Andreas Schuhmeier is th ...
. ''Unholy Cult'' saw the departure of guitarist Thomas Wilkinson and the addition of ex-
Angelcorpse Angelcorpse was a blackened death metal band formed after the demise of Pete Helmkamp's previous band, Order from Chaos. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, they relocated to Tampa, Florida. History They formed in 1995, with a line-up of He ...
guitarist Bill Taylor. Steve Shalaty replaced Hernandez on ''Harnessing Ruin''. In February 2008, Immolation toured the US alongside bands such as Rotting Christ,
Belphegor Belphegor (or Baal Peor, Hebrew: בַּעַל-פְּעוֹר baʿal-pəʿōr – “''Lord of the Gap''”) is, in Christianity, a demon associated with one of the seven deadly sins. According to religious tradition, he helps people make discov ...
and Averse Sefira. In January and February 2010, Immolation toured with headliner
Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
along with
Krisiun Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by brothers Alex Camargo (bass, vocals) (Born March 11, 1972), Moyses Kolesne (guitars) (Born August 11, 1973) and Max Kolesne (drums) (Born June 12, 1974). Since its formation in 1990, the gro ...
, Rose Funeral, and Dreaming Dead. In March 2010, Immolation released '' Majesty and Decay'' through
Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...
. In 2011, they released the 5-track ''Providence'' EP through Scion A/V as a free download. In May 2013, Immolation released '' Kingdom of Conspiracy'', again via Nuclear Blast, and toured with
Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...
and
Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mi ...
on a tour sponsored by
Decibel Magazine ''Decibel'' is a monthly heavy metal magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media since September 2004. It is currently the only monthly metal music magazine published in North America. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Revi ...
. At the end of 2016, Bill Taylor left the band for personal reasons, and was replaced by Alex Bouks. In 2017 Immolation released their tenth full-length album ''
Atonement Atonement, atoning, or making amends is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some othe ...
.'' In 2022, Immolation released their eleventh full-length album ''Acts of God''.


Artistry


Musical style and instrumentation

Immolation uses riffs written in dissonant
harmonic In physics, acoustics, and telecommunications, a harmonic is a sinusoidal wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'' of a periodic signal. The fundamental frequency is also called the ''1st har ...
patterns, often dueling between the two guitars, typically over complex rhythm and
drum pattern A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes ...
s. Their riffs are often a combination of tremolo picking, rapid
power chord A power chord , also called a fifth chord, is a colloquial name for a chord on guitar, especially on electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly pla ...
changes and pinched harmonics to create a wall of sound that many other bands have attempted to emulate. The band's guitar parts are often complex and technically proficient; drum parts are often written to follow the guitar riffs in a way that is unusual for most death metal. Guitarist Robert Vigna and vocalist/bassist Ross Dolan have been the only constant members throughout the band's history. Vigna is considered to be one of the most talented death metal guitarists and is well known for his complex riffing and wailing solos.


Lyrics

Immolation's lyrics from '' Dawn of Possession'' to '' Unholy Cult'' are explore themes of anti-religion, namely anti-Christianity. Beginning with '' Harnessing Ruin'', there are more lyrics touching on other subjects such as politics. Bassist Ross Dolan explained that the band's shift in lyrical content was motivated by current events. He said: The band once again explored themes of anti-religion on their eleventh album Acts of God. Dolan elaborated:


Legacy and influence

Immolation, along with
Incantation An incantation, spell, charm, enchantment, or bewitchery is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung, or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremonial ri ...
, helped bring the New York
death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
scene to the attention of the underground, and are noted for their contributions to the genre as a whole. Hence, they are considered one of the most influential American death metal bands. The band's debut album is frequently cited as being an important and highly influential album in the genre, having laid down the blueprint that bands such as Cryptopsy and
Suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are m ...
would follow with their respective debuts.


Members

* Robert Vigna – lead guitar (1986–present) * Ross Dolan – bass, vocals (1988–present) * Steve Shalaty – drums (2003–present) * Alex Bouks – rhythm guitar (2016–present) Former *Andrew Sakowicz – bass, vocals (1986–1988) *Dave Wilkinson – drums (1986–1988; died 2018) *Thomas Wilkinson – rhythm guitar (1988–2001) *Neal Boback – drums (1988–1989) *Craig Smilowski – drums (1989–1996) *Alex Hernandez – drums (1996–2003) * Bill Taylor – rhythm guitar (2001–2016) Live musicians * John McEntee – rhythm guitar (2001) Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

*'' Dawn of Possession'' (1991) *'' Here in After'' (1996) *'' Failures for Gods'' (1999) *'' Close to a World Below'' (2000) *'' Unholy Cult'' (2002) *'' Harnessing Ruin'' (2005) *'' Shadows in the Light'' (2007) *'' Majesty and Decay'' (2010) *'' Kingdom of Conspiracy'' (2013) *''
Atonement Atonement, atoning, or making amends is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some othe ...
'' (2017) *''Acts of God'' (2022)


EPs

*'' Hope and Horror'' ( EP +
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
, 2007) *''Providence'' ( EP, 2011)


DVD

*''Bringing Down the World'' (
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
, 2004)


Compilation

*''Stepping on Angels... Before Dawn'' (1995)


Book

*''Into Everlasting Fire: The Official History of Immolation'' (2024)


References


External links


Official websiteOfficial Facebook
*
''Immolation''
at
Encyclopaedia Metallum Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Immolation 1986 establishments in New York (state) Death metal musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 1986 Musical quartets from New York (state) Nuclear Blast artists Roadrunner Records artists Metal Blade Records artists Listenable Records artists