Review: INQUISITION “Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith”

INQUISITION “Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith”
Season of Mist

Inquisition is of few examples of bands that slowly but surely got its recognition. Emerging from the underground scene to a more so-called major audience through hard work and excellent albums.

These guys (yeah both of them) are not from yesterday. Formed back in 1990 in Columbia far away from the Scandinavian black metal scene which is clearly seen in their music. It’s still black metal, but more of unique.

With seven albums in, including this one Inquisition had steadily been tightened and more focused without losing the trademark epic majesty and furious speed. I had to point that they captured mine attention with Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm back in 2011. Some will say that their music from that point became catchier and had far more hooks. Well, just think that Dagon became a better songwriter. That trend also continued with even superior Obscure Verses For The Multiverse in 2013 with change in production to a more lower, darker sound abandoning the razor-sharp, loud sound that mantled their earlier albums.

Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith is the continuation of the last albums and a reverse pedal to the earlier material from the nineties. Dagon’s vocals had gone lower along with the production. The sound is still lower but somehow it captured the feel of the earlier albums as well as the songs on which I will go through soon. Dagon’s voice also had gone thought some minor changes or better said: gone back to his style from the earlier days. I hope this album will stop the idiotic and unnecessary comments on his voice like ˙˙wow the Immortal album really sounds good˙˙.

Album starts quite interesting; From Chaos They Came and Wings of Anu sound like there were ripped of the last album. Pretty much too familiar that left me thinking that they started copying themselves what unfortunately happens after so many albums.

Fuck was I wrong.

After those songs the rest of the album sounds like a love letter to the fans of the old albums. Although is still aggressive there’s a hell of a  lot more of slower parts with its dark, obscure atmosphere just dripping from the stereo. The Flames of Infinite Blackness Before Creation and Power from the Center of the Cosmic Black Spiral just to name a few. The title track Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith (what’s the fucking with these long fucking titles xD) which is an instrumental song is possibly the highlight of the album. I have not heard so much darkness and emotion so layered in one single song I don’t remember how long. It really speaks in volumes without a single word spoken.

If you are not properly introduced to Inquisition that I strongly recommend that you start with this album. It perfectly summarized their whole carrier in a whole.

Inqustion is like wine. The older it is, the better it gets and I am getting shitfaced with this album.