Immolation (band)

History

The band formed in May 1986 by Andrew Sakowicz (bass guitar, vocals) and Dave Wilkinson (drums) under the name Rigor Mortis (NY). After recording the Warriors of Doom demo, the band changed their name to Immolation in April 1988. The band signed a record deal with Roadrunner Records and released their debut album Dawn of Possession. Immolation was dropped when Roadrunner Records dropped nearly all of the death metal bands on its roster. The band was then signed by Metal Blade Records and released the three albums: Here in After, Failures for Gods, and Close to a World Below. After their second album Here in After, 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.

In May 2001, the band were the headliners for a tour in Europe with supporting bands: Deranged, Deströyer 666, Decapitated and Soul Demise. Unholy Cult saw the departure of guitarist Thomas Wilkinson and the installation of ex-Angelcorpse guitarist Bill Taylor. Steve Shalaty replaced Hernandez on Harnessing Ruin. In February 2008, Immolation toured the US alongside bands such as Rotting Christ, Belphegor and Averse Sefira. During January and February 2010, Immolation toured with headliner Nile along with Krisiun, Rose Funeral, and Dreaming Dead.

In March 2010, Immolation released Majesty and Decay through Nuclear Blast. 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 and Napalm Death on a tour sponsored by Decibel Magazine.

Musical style and lyrical themes

Immolation relies on riffs written in dissonant harmonic patterns, often dueling between the two guitars, to progress songs, typically over complex rhythm and drum patterns. Their riffs are often a mixture of fast tremolo picking and a lot of power chords and pinched harmonics to lay down a wall of sound that many bands have tried to use in their own music. Their guitar parts are often highly complex and technically proficient. Drum parts are often written to follow the guitar riffs in a way that is unusual for most death metal. They and fellow Pennsylvania death metal band, Incantation, helped bring the New York death metal scene to the attention of the underground. The debut album from them is frequently cited as being an important and highly influential album, having laid down the blueprint that bands such as Cryptopsy and Suffocation would follow with their respective debuts.

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.

The band's lyrics from Dawn of Possession to Unholy Cult are largely anti-religion, especially anti-Christianity. Beginning with Harnessing Ruin, there are more lyrics touching on other subjects such as politics. As Ross Dolan explained, the band's shift in lyrical theme was motivated by current events:

We did kind of leave the religious themes alone, because we were very passionate about that for the first number of records. And once Unholy Cult came out, that was where we branched off. That's where the shift happened, 'cause that was right after 9/11, as you know! I saw it, I went down there, I had family that got killed in the towers, and it was a life-changing event in a lot of ways. And I knew at that point that things would never be the same, in our country or in the world. And that's where the shift happened, and we started to focus more on the darker side of humanity. Which we did already with the religious themes, of course, because that was a very dark part of our history. I mean not to knock anybody who's very passionate about their religion, but in my personal point of view, I've always thought of it as a very controlling and negative force. It serves as a division in our world, it divides people, just like so many other things! So that's where we are, and that's where that shift started, away from religion and into something more socially relevant and looking more deeply at ourselves.

Studio albums

EPs

DVD

Compilation

Line-up

Former members

Live members