Review by Chris Pratl on December 17, 2018.

I'll go on record saying I think one of the better Swedish death metal albums back in “my day” was Sorcery's debut full-length, Bloodchilling Tales way, way back in 1991. It was absolutely rife with that “textbook” Swedish sound made famous by Grave, Unleashed and Desultory, to name a sparse few. While severely unpolished, it remains one I grab when I'm feeling that need for cold, unmitigated death metal. 

That said, it's been, oh, two decades-plus since we've seen a full-length from these Swedish boys bent on bringing death to the lulled masses. Arrival at Six takes no easy way in and literally smashes into your ears with “We Who Walk Among the Dead”, a classic Swedish sounding foray into the horror that was that beautiful sound. Infinitely more polished with modern devices and tools, the primitive and thin sound of old is thicker and bolder, lending total credence to the notion that 20-years between albums hasn't dulled the senses of these guys. That sickening guitar tone, part and parcel with the era and region, is ever-present and as potent today as it was during that brutal period. 

A band like Sorcery, one might opine, is riding the recent resurgence of that antiquated sound, and one might be correct. However, bear in mind that these guys once held rank in that esteemed club, and the time between hasn't exactly seen total dormancy. With a couple of demos and a compilation Sorcery has picked up where it left off and found a home once more in the dank and dismal recesses of death metal greatness. 

The vocals are that familiar gruff bellowing, and it truly wouldn't resound well any other way. Ola Malmstrom sounds even more volatile and angry on tracks like “Master of the Chains” or “Warbringer” as he did on “Legacy of Blood” or “Death” back in the day. There is something so drawing about this sound, especially when done by masters of the genre like Dismember or early Entombed. Sorcery, however, claims its own spot in the pantheon of putrid perfection with Arrival at Six; this album, for all of its polish and tweaking, stands among the best of the modern day genre because, quite honestly, it's brutally effective at charging the blood in a mad rush through the body when hearing it. There isn't one weak track on here, and, surprisingly, not one track meshes into another with typical affinity towards repetitiveness. The signature sound remains throughout, but the tone of each song is different and equally heavy. “United Satanic Alliance” is just Swedish brilliance all over, reading like a post-Cronos Venom on a speedball diet. This familiarity is most welcome, particularly when it comes from one of the bands from the early movement that spread over Europe like a wonderful cancer, infecting and destroying healthy cells and decimating lives along the way. For once, such a metaphoric illusion works well.

I was ecstatic to hear that Sorcery was releasing the long-awaited second record; even with slight reservations and even fears in mind, I held out hope that the Swedes would know exactly what not to do when reclaiming a spot in the coveted history of that country's brilliant death metal underground. I was not only happily surprised, but doubly impressed and made subservient to a sound that I find most agreeable today with my old-world preferences. 

This is a must-hear for '13 so far.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)

Review by Brexaul on December 19, 2020.

Gimmick bands have been on the rise and while this is not something new, it is slowly becoming an awful trend since most bands spend more time trying to find their quirk instead of composing and refining their sound. Ecclesia (Greek for church) from France, might seem like a typical gimmick band, especially if you take a look at the band members' pseudonyms and their overall clinging to the dark ages of the inquisition but shit-oh-shit this album rocks.

I'll start with the fantastic album cover and the huge weird logo covering most of it. Ecclesia are very on point with their personas and the general aesthetic they want to embrace and every little detail works towards that goal, admirably if I may add. Borrowing heavily from the heavy metal pages of Cathedral, Tad Morose and Candlemass ("Chapter VI" era) they have created a great mixture of doom metal flourished with heavy and power metal elements. The very smart use of the church organ as a primary protagonist, gives an eerie gothic atmosphere to the whole album that sets the grim tone to this epic tale of repentance. Their very talented vocalist Frater Arnhwald sounds great and fits perfectly to what the band is trying to convey, with a multifaced performance ranging from power metal-lish falsettos to flat out death metal growls, always with absolute control and a strong sense of placement.

The guitars are ripping and the songwriting is varied, galloping riffs give their place to slower passages and leads are melodic and haunting. The overall sound is very modern, avoiding the pitfall of an overproduced digital mix, as the band sounds very tight but not robotically precise or devoid of emotion. That haunted backdrop is ever-present and the whole album sounds very coherent both lyrically and musically. I also really enjoyed the small touch of renaming the Venom classic "Don't Burn The Witch" to 'Burn the Witch' just so it fits their narrative. The only thing that prevents me from giving the album an even higher score is that I feel that the first half is slightly, yet distinguishably stronger than the second half and that seems weird for an album that lasts 43 minutes. But this doesn't mean that the second half is bad, far from it, songs like 'Deus Vult' could be highlighted in some other tracklists.

Ecclesia offers a not-so-new, but very welcome approach to the doom metal formula, one that might appeal more to the average power metal fan. I spent the whole year juggling my favourite doom metal album between Sorcerer and Stygian Oath, but the French inquisitors (what a paradox) came in at the last minute, all torches blazing and now I have to re-do my lists. Overall a very enjoyable album and a very promising start to what I hope won't shift to the gimmicky side of the spectrum.

Standout tracks: 'Vatican III', 'Montségur'

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Brexaul on December 19, 2020.

Gimmick bands have been on the rise and while this is not something new, it is slowly becoming an awful trend since most bands spend more time trying to find their quirk instead of composing and refining their sound. Ecclesia (Greek for church) from France, might seem like a typical gimmick band, especially if you take a look at the band members' pseudonyms and their overall clinging to the dark ages of the inquisition but shit-oh-shit this album rocks.

I'll start with the fantastic album cover and the huge weird logo covering most of it. Ecclesia are very on point with their personas and the general aesthetic they want to embrace and every little detail works towards that goal, admirably if I may add. Borrowing heavily from the heavy metal pages of Cathedral, Tad Morose and Candlemass ("Chapter VI" era) they have created a great mixture of doom metal flourished with heavy and power metal elements. The very smart use of the church organ as a primary protagonist, gives an eerie gothic atmosphere to the whole album that sets the grim tone to this epic tale of repentance. Their very talented vocalist Frater Arnhwald sounds great and fits perfectly to what the band is trying to convey, with a multifaced performance ranging from power metal-lish falsettos to flat out death metal growls, always with absolute control and a strong sense of placement.

The guitars are ripping and the songwriting is varied, galloping riffs give their place to slower passages and leads are melodic and haunting. The overall sound is very modern, avoiding the pitfall of an overproduced digital mix, as the band sounds very tight but not robotically precise or devoid of emotion. That haunted backdrop is ever-present and the whole album sounds very coherent both lyrically and musically. I also really enjoyed the small touch of renaming the Venom classic "Don't Burn The Witch" to 'Burn the Witch' just so it fits their narrative. The only thing that prevents me from giving the album an even higher score is that I feel that the first half is slightly, yet distinguishably stronger than the second half and that seems weird for an album that lasts 43 minutes. But this doesn't mean that the second half is bad, far from it, songs like 'Deus Vult' could be highlighted in some other tracklists.

Ecclesia offers a not-so-new, but very welcome approach to the doom metal formula, one that might appeal more to the average power metal fan. I spent the whole year juggling my favourite doom metal album between Sorcerer and Stygian Oath, but the French inquisitors (what a paradox) came in at the last minute, all torches blazing and now I have to re-do my lists. Overall a very enjoyable album and a very promising start to what I hope won't shift to the gimmicky side of the spectrum.

Standout tracks: 'Vatican III', 'Montségur'

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Sam on January 20, 2026.

Immolation is one of one. Of all the technical, brutal, blasphemous death metal bands on planet earth, they have developed a sound in the extreme metal ecosphere that is all their own. Through their utilization of technical prowess and songwriting dynamics, lead guitar techniques such as dissonance, fretboard tapping, and pinch harmonics, evil lyrics composed by lapsed catholics from New York, and sheer brute force, their gigantic oeuvre engulfs and incinerates the listener. I was fortunate enough to see these dudes on tour opening up for (The True) Mayhem in 2017, and I can honestly say they blew the headlining act off the stage, and Mayhem was performing "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" in full.

(Perhaps it is unfair to compare the two, being from two opposing ends of extreme metal and the world, but the music of Immolation is just so diverse with all the different time signatures and tempo changes that there really is no comparison. Hearing "De Mysteriis...", though legendary, after Immolation’s brutal, diverse, and highly intense set, caused the masterpiece to come off as a bit one-dimensional. I will say that Attila’s stage presence was unquestionable, and I loved his esoteric gestures using candlelight. Immolation’s performance was simply more visceral.)

The blast furnace that is the album "Close To A World Below" roars to life following the dissonant opening guitars of 'Higher Coward', perfectly framed by the iconic sample. (Didn’t you say…) The first shoutout has to go to drummer Alex Hernandez because the dude sounds like Shiva, the destroyer of worlds, with six arms. His style is unique and innovative, with the technical chops of a jazz fusion player. He devastates with double bass and mesmerizes with creative and artful cymbal accents, with his chinas singing out beautifully. 'Father, You’re Not A Father' is of particular note with its midsection of pummeling double bass beneath offbeat china cymbal hits.

It is purely my speculation that these guys are in fact lapsed catholics, but let’s look at the facts: they hail from NYC, known for its high concentration of catholics, blasphemy is their most common lyrical theme, and check out some of the song titles on offer – 'Father, You’re Not A Father', 'Furthest From The Truth', 'Unpardonable Sin'… I mean, come on, and here is the main refrain from Father:

“I hailed Mary… over and over again
You’ve failed Mary
You’ve raped Mary… over and over again
You've walked beside me, but I was alone
You've walked on top of me, crushing me”

I find the subject of lapsed catholicism fascinating, and to me, these words are a reflection of someone who is just that. I would love to know more about the childhoods of Ross Dolan and Bob Vigna. Surely at least one of them was subjected to the harsh discipline of nuns and priests in a strict catholic school setting. Maybe one of them was at one time an altar boy. Did they take a sip of the communion wine and begin to question authority? Ross and Bob were working their own merch stand when I saw them in St. Louis, and they were both approachable and accommodating fellas, and I was charmed by their thick Brooklyn accents. When I asked them if they would be performing anything off of "Close To A World Below", they exchanged a glance, and Ross simply said “no” with a slight grin.

The first riff of the song 'Unpardonable Sin' is monolithic and crushing, seasoned with the peculiar yet enthralling dissonance that the band is known for, and they proceed to bludgeon our already disembodied skulls with an onslaught of brutal riffs and double bass. Vigna’s lead work on this track is outstanding, and his chaotic and abstract style is unmistakable. If I were to describe the sound of this album in one word, that word would be “huge”. Each song has blasting sections, lumbering knuckle-dragging bits, disorienting lead guitar work, frenetic drumming, and the Cyclopean vocals of Ross Dolan put a nice blasphemous bow on this anti-Christmas present.

"Close To A World Below" closes with its title track, and what a brutal beast it is, clocking in at over eight minutes. Alex Hernandez is completely on fire as he razes and levels the battlefield with his unrelenting double bass destruction. Bob Vigna treats us to a disharmonic tap solo followed by a revisit to the gigantic opening riff. After the ensuing beatdown of frantic blast beats and the final guttural lamentation to “bring us closer… to a god below”, Vigna’s final lead of the album is an atmospheric masterclass in morbidity.

Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Review by Adam M on June 27, 2025.

This album was one of the essential death metal albums and showcased the band flourishing on all cylinders.  There is a dark atmosphere here to the work and it is heavy and powerful.  The album pulls all the right punches to make a huge impact on the listener.  It is a very sizzling display of death metal might and an exciting addition to their discography.

The musicianship on the album is quite stellar with cascading guitars and has a production job that is top notch.  The entire affair is heavy and brutal and makes good use of distortion to a maximum effect to captivate the listener.  The band would have more well performed albums in the future, but this is certainly a highlight.

In terms of flaws, the album doesn’t have some of the positive traits of Unholy Cult and Majesty and Decay and this comes up a little wanting and is not the masterpiece of alums like Human and simply another excellent album by the band.

Overall, this album was an entertaing diversion and one of the strongest that the band has put out to date.  It is an influential album to bands like Behemoth and Nile and very interesting to listen to.  Fans of the heavy end of death metal will find like with as will those liking heavy music in general.

Rating: 7.7/10

Review by Krys on February 21, 2001.

Finally we have an Immolation album that was released one year after the previous one. And what a piece of music it is. What really amazes me is that material on "Close To A World Below", even though produced in less time than any other Immolation album, is better than ever before. I just have one piece of advice for the band: Release albums every year, damn it!

Always in shadow of big brothers like Morbid Angel or Cannibal Corpse (although not any more!), Immolation’s 'Close To A World Below' belongs to one of the best releases in death metal sector of the year 2000. What can I say about this album? Let’s start by saying that if you had attention deficit problems prior to listening to this album, you might need professional care afterward!

In the guitar department, Thomas Wilkinson & Robert Vigna take you on an insane and complex trip through the madhouse where drummer Alex Hernandez with ultrasonic speed will pound your head with a baseball bat and Ross Dolan will scream, moan and growl until you see monkeys take over the world. (I had to do it for 'Atomic', he loves them. Monkeys, of course!) I tell you, it’s a beautiful feeling knowing that there are bands like Immolation that create brutal but also atmospherically insane music without using keyboards or any special effects; just a little headbanger’s how-to-create-a-band tool kit - guitars and drums. Just beautiful!

"Close To A World Below" should be Immolation’s final break-through, which they fully deserve and have my absolute support. Album not recommended to people with short attention spans.

Ratting: 8.5 out of 10