IMMOLATION

Improving upon the foundation of technical, neck-snapping death metal they helped build beginning in the late 1980s, IMMOLATION lumber forth with the seventh chapter in their legendary career, Shadows in the Light. The group recorded their latest collection of deathly dirges within the hallowed halls of Millbrook Sound Studios, once home to such diverse acts as Anthrax, Zakk Wylde and Twisted Sister. With song titles like "Deliverer of Evil," "Lying with Demons" and "Whispering Death," listeners can expect no less than top form. And what is top form for a group that Metal Maniacs calls "one of the premier American death metal bands"? Expect thunderous riffs, hellish vocals and the most earth-shaking drums the genre has spawned in years. IMMOLATION trademarks like discordant harmonies, distinctive grooves and the gloomiest of atmospheres are all well represented in their purest, most unadulterated fashion. "The new stuff is more extreme in a lot of ways. It's much more tense and angry than the last couple of records," says Ross Dolan (bass/vocals). "It's more refined, straight-forward and fine-tuned." Returning with the same lineup as their previous release, Harnessing Ruin, dubbed "the most skull-crushing of their entire necro-rompin" career by Revolver Magazine,the group finds itself uncharacteristically stable, allowing for chemistry not present in their formative years. ounding members Dolan and Robert Vigna (guitar) join Bill Taylor (guitar) and Steve Shalaty (drums) to form the group's most consistently punishing lineup to date. Those who saw IMMOLATION with labelmates Arch Enemy at the Arnhem Metal Meeting in Europe last December can attest to their frighteningly tight set. he band will be headlining gigs from Spain to Holland in June with support from fellow legends and death-mongers Grave and Krisiun. Plans to return Stateside or what will surely be a devastating North American campaign are in the works. If you've missed out on these much-heralded exporters of death and destruction, Shadows in the Light is your opportunity to witness history in the making.