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On disc: Inquisition



Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult - Mike Thompson - 9 stars


www.myspace.com/inquisitionusa







Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult

Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult
(Hell's Headbangers - 2010)


The debut full-length from cult Columbian exiles Inquisition, Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult was originally released in 1998, but recently got a brand new release from Hell's Headbangers Records. This record has been re-released a few times and with every subsequent re-issue come a flurry of reviews stating how awesome and cult this album is and how it is a masterpiece of black metal. Time for me to find out if the hype is right for once.
Vocally, you may expect black metal shrieks from this album. You'd be wrong. Instead what you get is Dagon's attempt to be different. Saying he sounds like Donald Duck after a few bottles of Jack Daniels would actually be a compliment compared to how he actually sounds! At first I was appalled, as the album progressed my disgust turned to hilarity and then...and then I actually started to enjoy it. Quite honestly this is one of the worst vocal displays I've ever heard but at the same time its just so different and actually compliments the music. Its very strange to me how something so obviously bad, so utterly devoid of emotion and so bland can yet work (to a point).
Despite the strange vocals I have to admit that this album kept me mesmerized from beginning to end. There's just something magnetic about the sound of the album and the way the songs are written and played that kept me from skipping tracks. Even the vocals eventually fade into the background a little and become just another facet of this band's fairly unique sound.
The guitar is actually a real joy to listen to at times with a great bite and some beautiful passages in songs such as The Initiation. There's not too much fast-paced stuff though so if you like your black metal at hyperspeed then look elsewhere. Stand out tracks include The Initiation, Summoned By Ancient Wizards Under A Black Moon and Journey To Infernukorreka.
If you're open-minded about your underground black metal (that could be an oxymoron...) then you should check it out. The vocals do take a lot of getting used to but its not difficult to ignore them. The phenomenal music carries this album forward relentlessly and although I don't think I will ever appreciate this album in the way that many fans do, I have to say that it is a very good and enjoyable listen that should be in any black metal fans collection.


9 stars

Mike Thompson
 

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