apanthropy

Inquisition
Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence
Agonia Records
Released: 1/26/24

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1 – Witchcraft Within a Gothic Tomb
2 – Crown of Light and Constellations
3 – A Hidden Ceremony of Flesh and Blood
4 – Force of Death is the Force of Life
5 – Memories Within an Empty Castle in Ruins
6 – Primordial Philosophy and Pure Spirit
7 – Infinity is the Aeon of Satan
8 – Pathway of Light is a Pathway to Fire
9 – Light of My Dark Essence
10 – Secrets from the Wizard Forest of Forbidden Knowledge
11 – Sorcery Through Crystal Eyes in Search of the Devil
12 – Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence
13 – Lord of Absolute Darkness and Infinite Light
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Inquisition have existed, in some form, since 1988. Originally called Guillotina between 1988 and 1990 while based in Columbia, the band’s well-known distinctive sound took hold with the release of Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult in 1998. The duo comprised of Incubus on drums and Dagon on guitar and vocals have since churned out nine full-length albums, all generally well-received. Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence represents the pairing’s ninth and newest offering, showcasing thirteen new original tracks in slightly under forty-five minutes.

Nothing has changed with the execution style on Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence. The band still performs as a duo with no bass guitar present in the mix, Dagon’s incredibly distinctive vocal style still hoarsely croaks out lines of occult-tinged lyrics, and the compositions are still very streamlined and straightforward – for the most part.

For anybody new to Inquisition, the lack of bass guitar in the recordings does nothing to weaken the flow of music. Dagon, being the whole of the band’s narrative propulsion, still demonstrates his core skills by launching the songs forward on a complete battery of riffing that varies from storming fifth chord work to single-note melodies, to explosively sonic arpeggios, and occasional effects-heavy accenting. The sound is as “full” as two musicians are capable of producing together, and the band is still performing music that is heavier than many other groups with larger line-ups.

The production on Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence is noticeably scaled down compared to previous releases. The muted palette is a stark contrast to the production on releases such as 2002’s Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan or 2010’s Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm. It is less frontal and direct, but more generous towards the low frequencies and with a tempered clarity much like 2020’s Black Mass for a Mass Grave.

Opening with ‘Witchcraft Within a Gothic Tomb,’ an occult slammer that shows off Dagon’s multifaceted approach to riffing, cycling through charging fifth chords sections and spindly arpeggios. ‘Crown of Light and Constellations,’ follows a similar sonic template early on, but changes gears to accommodate an extended, structurally simplistic lead. The final verse features Dagon changing his typical vocal attack to one that is much more strained and higher pitched.

‘A Hidden Ceremony of Flesh and Blood’ could have easily found home on 2010’s Ominous Doctrines of Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm, with its exchanges between direct blasting and melodic phrasing. ‘Force of Death is the Force of Life,’ starts off on a slower note before barreling into a chromatic blasting storm, at less than two and a half minutes in length, this ripper is the shortest track on the album.

‘Memories Within an Empty Castle in Ruins,’ is a showcase of ethereal atmospheric riffing on the intro riff before transitioning into a simplistic fifth chord progressions complimented with swelling keyboards. ‘Primordial Philosophy and Pure Spirit,’ features delay-saturated clean guitars, reverb-drenched leads, and an almost ritualistically tribal rhythm structure. ‘Infinity Is the Aeon of Satan’ is a stripped-down vicious thrash-minded banger that plows forward from start to end, with stark atmospheric accenting over lighting-speed drumming, and more ethereal cosmic effects-heavy lead work.

‘Pathway of Light Is a Pathway of Fire,’ is a brief interlude of clean guitars with a very hard rock sensibility about it. ‘Light of My Dark Essence’ is an interesting track, as it’s the first to shuck the composition characteristics of the other songs on the record; a simple almost-mechanical sounding drum beat at rather passive mid-tempo meets melodic major-themed riffing. Heavily melodic, ‘Light of My Dark Essence’ is bizarrely death rock-adjacent and one of the most mainstream-sounding songs Inquisition have ever produced.

A song entitled ‘Secrets from the Wizard Forest of Forbidden Knowledge’ has to absolutely deliver, based purely on the cool-as-fuck song name. And it does. Dagon’s bizarre vocal work blending over top the almost trance-inducing drum beat and riffcraft is a great moment for the record and a stark contrast to the previous song.

‘Sorcery Through Crystal Eyes in Search of the Devil’ is a rather uninspiring straightforward number very similar to the tracks in the first half of the record. The title track is a slower paced anthemic number that scales back the heaviness quite a bit. Much like ‘Light of My Dark Essence,’ there are elements of rock, hard rock, and death rock very much present in the delivery.

‘Lord of Absolute Darkness and Infinite Light,’ is an instrumental closer of ambience, horns, organ, and spoken word; a very church-like, cosmic end to the record.

Inquisition continue to progress sonically from 2020’s Black Mass for a Mass Grave, maintaining the ambient and lush riffing that has been a signature staple to their songs but infusing them with elements that are unusually progressive and stripped-down. Dagon’s vocals are, as with many others, a matter of taste. Love them or hate them, they are instantly recognizable. The production takes a few spins to get used to, as longtime fans will find it much less direct than previous albums. Overall, this is Inquisition doing what Inquisition has done since their 1998 debut full-length, which is deliver cosmic black metal that is sometimes barbaric and other times flowingly melodic. A worthy addition to their discography.

Label: Agonia Records
Band: Inquisition

AJK