Review by Jeger on July 4, 2024.

Rotting Christ, Dissection and Inquisition - in my opinion, no three bands have ever done black metal better. Inquisition? Literal icons for trueness in black metal. Their discography a genuine one that includes gems like their debut LP, “Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult”, 2004’s “Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer”, their 2020 masterpiece, “Black Mass For a Mass Grave” and of course their most recent opus, “Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence”. Yeah, known for their ridiculously long song and album titles as well… 

Today, I’ve gathered you round ritual’s fire to celebrate Inquisition’s aforementioned “Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer”. To honor His Highest! To glorify The Light Bringer, but not through majesty or elaboration. Let us gather as humble hordes now before his grande presence. What I love about “Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer” is its simplicity. Typically, Luciferian black metal albums tend to be radical, whereas here we have earthy cuts like “Of Blood and Darkness We Are Born” that evoke images of wretched sorcerers glaring into their crystals for signs of Him - toiling in the throes of ritual to unlock the secrets of his Cosmic Throne - their rabble in awe before them. Inquisition began their journey within the pits of the genre. Their first two records dredge the depths of the world of Satanism and the occult. The music a no bullshit testament to the legitimacy of true black metal: no frills, wicked and Satanic to the bone. “Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer” saw Inquisition setting upon the path toward evolution for the first time. There’s still that gut-wrenching torque to it and those lowly melodies but a little more dynamic this time around; something more palatable even.

 “Eternal Loyalty to Our Lord Satan” - a proper ode to His Infernal Majesty with all warmth and comfort radiating from every passage. You can feel His blessed energy and his austere gaze as they settle into your core. Only someone who genuinely understands Him and who has felt His touch can make music like this. This is why “Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer” is one of this duo’s finest albums. It doesn’t offer the same thrill ride experience as “Obscure Verses For the Multiverse” or the genre-dominant power of their last two records, but this is TRUE black metal we’re talking here, and while production may be crisp, as I mentioned before, it’s in the energy. In tune, in sync and in stream with what feels like uncut demonic power and yet soothing enough to lull you into a trance state. I’ve heard Luciferian black metal albums created by actual occult practitioners that can’t even touch how real this thing is…

 Champions of the genre whose product only sweetens with age. Inquisition’s latest album is arguably their greatest, and as the Scandinavians scramble for position atop their own legendary scene’s highest peaks, Inquisition quietly release music a world away that simply dominates pretty much everything that Europe has to offer. And it has always been so. Oft-overlooked because of their locale and even condemned for their controversies, but undeniably one of the greatest black metal duos to have ever struck a chord or to have blasted a beat. And so we homage The Father now as we take in “Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer”. May he illuminate your path and may his wisdom be with you always. Hails be unto Inquisition! 

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 14, 2021.

Either black metal has a magical core or it is no black metal at all. A girl is pregnant or not, there’s nothing between (as far as I know) and a black metal album needs total darkness, not just some dark corners. However, I don’t want to begin a philosophical lecture, but a review for the latest album of two musicians who have already proved evidence that their mindset matches the spirituality of the lightless subgenre perfectly. In short, Inquisition are back after a break of four years.

Black Mass For A Mass Grave is an almost ordinary title after Bloodshed Across The Empyrian Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith. Yet we know that it’s surely a fault to judge a book by its cover. And it goes without saying that the real might of Inquisition is not reflected in their album names, but in their music. It creates a dark, misanthropic and sometimes melancholic universe, a galaxy where nearly dreamful guitar lines are allowed from time to time, because they never sound sweet ('Necromancy Through A Buried Cosmos'). The guitar of Dagon is like a miracle bag and he is able to generate incredible, strange sounds. In its best moments, the music of the Colombians appears as a dark lake in a volcanic crater. One can get lost in the material of Black Mass... and forget the daily trouble, such as (from public to private) Corona, incompetent politicians, small-minded neighbours and the weeping eczema at the nape of the neck.

It cannot be said often enough: Inquisition have found their own style in a world of copycats and spitting images. That’s remarkable and this fact makes it easy to like Black Mass…, although it suffers from a detail. The two artists have slowed down the average velocity. I admit that they master the mid-tempo parts as well, but I don’t think that the album benefits from the widespread absence of murderous tempo. The full-length reveals a comparatively high degree of uniformity, especially in its centre. Inquisition have chosen the “Bolt Thrower approach”. This means the single songs seem to be less important than the monolithic overall impression of the album in its entirety. That’s not a bad thing per se and the British legend has been one of the best death metal bands the world has ever seen (and heard!). In particular their masterpiece “...for Victory” cannot be beaten.

Sorry, I digress. Inquisition is in the focus and I wish there would be more songs like 'A Glorious Shadow From Fire And Ashes'. It is another song which relies on mid-paced rhythms, but it has a more aggressive touch than many other tracks. 'Spirit Of The Black Star' marks an outstanding track as well. The opener presents fast drums that stand in contrast to relatively stoic yet absolutely fantastic guitar lines. This song and the following absolutely brilliant 'Luciferian Rays' are the early highlights of the new dozen of songs which show all highly appreciated trademarks of the two corpsepainted creatures: the impenetrable guitar sound, the demon-like vocals, the no frills drumming and the genre-typical atmosphere. Maybe Black Mass… points in the wrong direction in view of the lack of velocity, but it’s still a great album with a very good sound for this kind of black metal, although they could have given the voice slightly more room.

It is also positive that the opus does not belong to those works that get weaker with every track. 'Extinction Of Darkness And Light' on position nine of the track list surprises with a mix of wistfulness and vibrancy – and it does not matter that the livelier sections almost sound like East European folklore in a metallic design. 'Beast Of Creation And Master Of Time', the last regular song, is another late jewel. Here the well-known grimness shimmers through the pretty fast rhythms. Inquisition still know how to fight back and that’s naturally a good thing.

I did not lose many words about the advance track of the album, 'Luciferian Rites'. There exists already a review for this soon-to-be-classic. Of course, you do not need to read this review, but you must see the absolutely excellent official video for this song on YouTube. And that’s not all, I’m not yet ready: you also have to lend an ear to Black Mass For A Mass Grave or you shall be punished with the loss of your hearing. It’s probably not the masterpiece in the wealthy catalogue of Inquisition, but it’s still a full-length only fools ignore. It’s true black metal and that’s simply great.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 14, 2021.

Either black metal has a magical core or it is no black metal at all. A girl is pregnant or not, there’s nothing between (as far as I know) and a black metal album needs total darkness, not just some dark corners. However, I don’t want to begin a philosophical lecture, but a review for the latest album of two musicians who have already proved evidence that their mindset matches the spirituality of the lightless subgenre perfectly. In short, Inquisition are back after a break of four years.

Black Mass For A Mass Grave is an almost ordinary title after Bloodshed Across The Empyrian Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith. Yet we know that it’s surely a fault to judge a book by its cover. And it goes without saying that the real might of Inquisition is not reflected in their album names, but in their music. It creates a dark, misanthropic and sometimes melancholic universe, a galaxy where nearly dreamful guitar lines are allowed from time to time, because they never sound sweet ('Necromancy Through A Buried Cosmos'). The guitar of Dagon is like a miracle bag and he is able to generate incredible, strange sounds. In its best moments, the music of the Colombians appears as a dark lake in a volcanic crater. One can get lost in the material of Black Mass... and forget the daily trouble, such as (from public to private) Corona, incompetent politicians, small-minded neighbours and the weeping eczema at the nape of the neck.

It cannot be said often enough: Inquisition have found their own style in a world of copycats and spitting images. That’s remarkable and this fact makes it easy to like Black Mass…, although it suffers from a detail. The two artists have slowed down the average velocity. I admit that they master the mid-tempo parts as well, but I don’t think that the album benefits from the widespread absence of murderous tempo. The full-length reveals a comparatively high degree of uniformity, especially in its centre. Inquisition have chosen the “Bolt Thrower approach”. This means the single songs seem to be less important than the monolithic overall impression of the album in its entirety. That’s not a bad thing per se and the British legend has been one of the best death metal bands the world has ever seen (and heard!). In particular their masterpiece “...for Victory” cannot be beaten.

Sorry, I digress. Inquisition is in the focus and I wish there would be more songs like 'A Glorious Shadow From Fire And Ashes'. It is another song which relies on mid-paced rhythms, but it has a more aggressive touch than many other tracks. 'Spirit Of The Black Star' marks an outstanding track as well. The opener presents fast drums that stand in contrast to relatively stoic yet absolutely fantastic guitar lines. This song and the following absolutely brilliant 'Luciferian Rays' are the early highlights of the new dozen of songs which show all highly appreciated trademarks of the two corpsepainted creatures: the impenetrable guitar sound, the demon-like vocals, the no frills drumming and the genre-typical atmosphere. Maybe Black Mass… points in the wrong direction in view of the lack of velocity, but it’s still a great album with a very good sound for this kind of black metal, although they could have given the voice slightly more room.

It is also positive that the opus does not belong to those works that get weaker with every track. 'Extinction Of Darkness And Light' on position nine of the track list surprises with a mix of wistfulness and vibrancy – and it does not matter that the livelier sections almost sound like East European folklore in a metallic design. 'Beast Of Creation And Master Of Time', the last regular song, is another late jewel. Here the well-known grimness shimmers through the pretty fast rhythms. Inquisition still know how to fight back and that’s naturally a good thing.

I did not lose many words about the advance track of the album, 'Luciferian Rites'. There exists already a review for this soon-to-be-classic. Of course, you do not need to read this review, but you must see the absolutely excellent official video for this song on YouTube. And that’s not all, I’m not yet ready: you also have to lend an ear to Black Mass For A Mass Grave or you shall be punished with the loss of your hearing. It’s probably not the masterpiece in the wealthy catalogue of Inquisition, but it’s still a full-length only fools ignore. It’s true black metal and that’s simply great.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10