Dawn Of Possession

Yonkers, New York’s Immolation are one of the key bands in the development of death metal. Their 1991 debut album combines brutal, almost oppressive heaviness with some off-kilter touches, like the way the guitar solo on “Despondent Souls” seems to float into the room, then vanish as quickly as it arrived, or the way drummer Craig Smilowski’s avalanches of fills and kick drum onslaught seem independent of the song around them. Even bassist/vocalist Ross Dolan is doing something different than his peers, opting for a hoarse shout like he’s fighting through laryngitis or throat polyps rather than growling like a demon. He sounds more like Charles Maggio of New Jersey noise-hardcore act Rorschach than a typical death metal vocalist. Over time, Immolation would get slower, heavier and more despairing, but this is a forceful debut.