There are few musical genres more argued over than black metal. You have the purists who demand a strict adherence to Satanism, you have the new generation of hipsters with their mind-bending take on things, as well as the Norse hordes still churning out the second-wave of Darkthrone inspired filth many of us will always love. Then, you have Inquisition. Two members, one statement of intent: to buck all trends and simply shred the skin from your face with every release. Guitarist Dagon, from the U.S.A. via Columbia, with drummer Incubus have been together since 1996. They have been operating without a bass player for all but their first album. A two-piece in the studio as well as the stage, the unconventional duo need nothing else to bring the force of Satan’s spells to your eardrums. Dagon’s vocal style, being almost reptilian, can be off-putting at first. After a couple minutes one realizes it all works. The voice is not singing to you nor is it screaming to you. It’s channeling something feral, something ancient. Inquisition cast spells, and they do so by ticking all the right musical boxes that make black metal what it is. Blasting sections of minor-key tremolo picking are augmented by slower sections – the juxtaposition as vicious and ardent as the five points of the pentagram. Sixth album Obscure Verses for the Multiverse, out now on the Seasons of Mist record label, looks poised to take Inquisition down to yet another level of hell. Does it?
Dagon does not produce filler music. Each song on all his prior works is as effective as every other song. This continues on Obscure Verses for the Multiverse, but the one difference right off the bat that is noticeable is his voice. One can be forgiven for thinking Abbath Doom Occulta of Immortal was on the mic. Aside from this development, the album is killer. It begins as many Inquisition songs often do. A full on blast with no warning, as opening song “Force of the Floating Tomb” combines blast beats with some menacing slower moments to let you know you have got a keeper. Dagon’s slower riffs are constructed to convey the menace of things to come . . . they’re a set up for another pummeling. He is not just playing to play here. Each song on offer pelts the listener with the dynamic of speed and slow menace, and while each track bears minor differences from its counterparts, the record never gets boring or repetitive. One of the more experimental moments on the record comes in fourth track “Spiritual Plasma Evocation” which opens with almost a feeling of tribal drumming. The songs fit together as a whole, both thematically and musically, and do not require an individual breakdown to be absorbed and understood. Having said that, one should pay attention to the chanted chorus in “Inversion of Ethereal White Stars,” as well as the Limbonic Art-esque vibe in the verses; truly a unique song and one worthy of mention.
Obscure Verses for the Multiverse is as much moonlight and forest silence as it is blood and thunder. Headphones, a mountaintop, and a pure night sky do it as much justice as a sweaty nightclub. It can exist in and was crafted for both places. Apart from losing a bit of his own individuality vocally, Dagon has bestowed yet another dark masterpiece upon us. Cryptic Rock gives the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.
- Seasons Of Mist
Written by Nicholas Franco
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