Review by Nekrist on April 15, 2026.

Immolation is a band that needs no introduction. Their career has been so prolific, consistent, and exceptional that they have forged a legendary reputation, not only within death metal but in extreme music in general. Their discography is so solid and respected that no one dares to question the greatness of their material.

My first encounter with Immolation was with their albums "Here In After" and "Kingdom Of Conspiracy," which made it abundantly clear to me the high level of technical skill and composition in every possible aspect. Immolation's typical sound could be defined as a completely subdued chaos, channeled in an extremely powerful and precise way.

This year, Immolation surprises us with (in my humble opinion) their most prolific work to date, simply titled "Descent." Immolation has achieved such synergy, cohesion, and refinement of their formula that every note and minute detail is fitted with surgical precision, leaving any true death metal fan who appreciates and analyzes music with an almost obsessive intensity simply speechless.

"Descent" blends everything that makes Immolation such an important name in extreme metal: dark and decadent brutality intertwined with dissonances and melodies that battle each other for dominance within each song. The riffs that Robert Vigna and Alex Bouks compose are a true display of talent, virtuosity, and compositional mastery, oscillating between chaotic, almost cacophonous melodies and incredibly infectious, groovy moments that incite merciless headbanging. It's no wonder Vigna is known as "The Wizard" in some underground metal circles. The drumming, courtesy of Steve Shalaty, sounds like it was played by a creature with more than four limbs, as the polyrhythmic patterns featured on "Descent" don't seem to have been played by an ordinary human being. Songs like 'Adversary' and 'False Ascent' are a veritable masterclass in percussive skills. A close analysis of the rhythmic transitions makes it impossible not to appreciate the high technical value of this compositional performance, which I want to highlight in the examples presented, but which can be appreciated throughout the entire album.

And now it's time to tip my hat to one of the most brutal, mature, and imposing vocal performances I've had the pleasure of hearing in recent years. Mr. Ross Dolan is back with (so far) his best and most refined vocal performance of his career. It's truly impressive how his voice is becoming increasingly gnarly and just so perfect for Immolation's dissonant and chaotic style. He's an excellent artist who has undergone an impressive evolution over the band's remarkable 38 years of activity. I can certainly say once again that Ross Dolan is my favorite death metal vocalist, followed by David Vincent in his most glorious era. Mr. Dolan's power in songs like 'Attrition' and 'These Vengeful Winds' left me speechless, considering the amount of time he has dedicated to extreme music with such professionalism and passion.

To conclude this humble review/opinion, legendary bands like Immolation put to shame other classic bands that have released utterly dreadful albums, which many fans justify with the excuse that "they've been together for too many years releasing music, so it's normal for their creativity to run out," well... no, here we have a crystal clear example that it doesn't matter how many years a band has been around, because if their passion and love for what they do remains alive, creativity never dies.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Norbert on April 8, 2026.

While I’ve always felt closer to Incantation among the two most important American death metal bands starting with the letter “I,” Immolation is a band I’ve held in equal esteem for years. Not only for their creativity and influence on the scene, but also for something perhaps more elusive: consistency. For nearly four decades, they’ve been playing their own game—essentially unrivaled, not competing with anyone or trying to prove anything. That’s precisely why each of their new albums feels more like a test for themselves than another step in a race.

The New Yorkers’ twelfth studio album, scheduled for release on April 10th,2026, once again via Nuclear Blast, confirms one thing: Immolation not only maintain their level of quality, but continually refine their own style. After the very good but somewhat drawn-out and occasionally uniform Acts Of God, this time we get material that’s clearly more cohesive, thoughtful, and—most importantly—better balanced.

Descent is perhaps Immolation’s most compelling album since Close To A World Below from over a quarter of a century ago—not because it’s the most extreme, but because it reclaims an element of unease in their music that had softened somewhat in recent years. Zack Ohren’s production is largely responsible for this. Descent sounds powerful, but not sterile—it’s a studio production that enhances the music rather than smoothing it out. The guitars retain their characteristic “warped” texture, full of dissonance and tension; the rhythm section is massive but not overwhelming; and everything remains clear even in the most intense moments. It’s still the same language Immolation developed in the late 1980s: Vigna’s pitch-heated, hellishly crimson riffs—broken, interwoven with monstrous slowdowns, filled with his characteristic use of harmonics—and solos that “knock the chandelier off the ceiling,” paired with Dolan’s sepulchral vocals, sounding like compressed air forced into a microphone. Add intricate instrumental lines, shifting accents, unusual rhythms, and dense arrangements, and the result is unmistakable.

This music still works. It remains sultry, claustrophobic, and heavy—massively heavy—even when the band injects a little more air or melody. It’s a style honed to a level achieved by very few.

The biggest change from their previous few albums concerns the construction of individual compositions. Immolation move away from a steady onslaught in favor of greater dynamics and variety. Alongside aggressive, fractured riffs, slowdowns, and passages that build heaviness through space appear more frequently. This characteristic balance—between suffocation and movement, chaos and control—returns here in a more complete form than on their last few releases.

And it’s precisely here that Descent triumphs: in the details. In the way Vigna’s riffs “fall apart,” only to reassemble into something coherent a moment later. In the way Shalaty’s drumming relies on accents rather than brute force. In the way, the music once again feels less predictable. These may be small things, but they’ve always distinguished Immolation from the rest of the scene.

On the other hand, it’s hard to completely escape the impression that the band is still operating in very familiar territory. Certain ideas recur, and some fragments can blur together, especially for a less attentive listener. If someone has considered Immolation “stagnant” for years, Descent is unlikely to change their mind—but then again, that was probably never the goal. Immolation have long operated on their own terms. Their strength lies not in experimentation, but in refining the language they created decades ago. And while it may sometimes seem like little has changed, a closer listen reveals just how much is happening beneath the surface.

Descent is a shorter, more compact, and decidedly more substantial album than Acts Of God. It may not reach the monumentality of Atonement, but it compensates with energy and freshness that were occasionally lacking on its predecessor. Thematically, the band remains true to itself—decay, decay, and the absence of meaning. But as always with Immolation, it’s not about the lyrics themselves, but how they meld with the music. This isn’t shocking death metal—it’s death metal that slowly and steadily overwhelms.

Descent doesn’t try to redefine anything.
But it reminds us why Immolation still play in a league of their own.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Jeger on March 14, 2026.

A time for everything under the Sun… The time for total destruction isn't nigh, it is here and the devastation is being rained down upon us all by Immolation and their new LP, "Descent", scheduled for an April 10 release via Nuclear Blast. And so the Earth's mantle quakes, lightning bolts crack a reddened sky and acid rain pours over what was once humanity, now a disease, but is it even real? Are we in Hell? These questions begged with no answers, no chance of salvation! No chance at redemption…

Immolation's discography is a coveted one, particularly since the release of 2017's "Atonement". "Atonement", "Acts Of God" and "Descent" - a trilogy of albums that admonish religion and inspire one to question humanity's very own existence. Death Metal for Luciferian-like rebellion, for the attainment of forbidden knowledge and for fanning the flames of apocalypse. Fallen Empires toppled by an all new, all terrifying war machine. An extermination taking place to wipe out the entirety of our corrupt being. Tracks like the opener, "These Vengeful Winds" and the following track, "The Ephemeral Curse", deliver the total Immolation experience: that signature guitar tone, that dozer-like momentum and those cursed growls that call forth the end of days with such ominous tones, while other cuts like "Gods Last Breath" and "Host" make their impact with Incantation-esque Doom-level passages. Dredging up the filth of humanity like a river turning over and exposing the truth with riff after crushing riff.

There's this brilliant contrast between the guitars and drums. HEAVY, dragging riffs set to complex, tom-rolling rhythms and of course the most devastating blast-beats in the business. Just like with Immolation's previous two records, "Descent" is a foreboding and ominous affair with little technicality displayed and running at a patient tempo, so as to allow for the listener to deeply experience every furious moment, every sinister melody, every death-worshipping passage. An ideal soundtrack for the end is "Descent". This is DM of the rapturous variety and sorry fellow DM'ers, but this is untouchable, intangible! I can think of few other bands whose sound is so recognizable. Immolation have mastered their craft and albums like "Descent" are what keep DM viable. The gore shit is dime-a-dozen fodder and the Satanic stuff is even getting worn, but this! This is fresh as morning napalm. Energized like a fucking atom bomb about to detonate. Horrifying like your worst nightmare realized.

How? Is it just from all of their experience or is it organic? Immolation has also mastered the art of atmosphere - their ability to create a most horrific environment of sound. Only Barnes era Cannibal Corpse or "Necroticism" era Carcass have ever sounded so dangerous, so freshly unnerving. Something akin to someone's final ten minutes leading up to the electric chair. "Descent" culminates with the title-track - a show of force! But also of brilliance and ingenuity. A feast of all things Immolation and a taste of different eras.

What a fucking album… Always outdoing themselves are Immolation - the masters of contemporary Death Metal. The very best doing it now. Something beyond elite, transcending into the realm of the Titanical. As inevitable as our demise and as deadly as nuclear winter, Immolation's scourge over the scene is an unforgiving one. Just annihilating the competition. "Descent" and Monstrosity's "Screams From Beneath The Surface" are the apex this year and it's not even fair. You knew it was going to be great! Now you just gotta wait a few weeks. The clock is ticking… Are you prepared?

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Sam on March 10, 2026.

To describe the dissonant blasphemers Immolation in one word, spanning their entire nearly four-decade career(!), I think that word would be “grandiose”. Beginning with their 1991 debut, it was apparent that this was a group of high-minded individuals who sought to set themselves apart from the death metal saturation of the time. Dawn Of Possession indeed showed glimpses of this grandiosity, but I believe it was their sophomore effort Here In After that proved that the dudes from Yonkers were not fucking around, and the year 2000’s Close To A World Below sealed their status as brutal, evil, eccentric, gigantic, technical death metal icons.

So here it is, 2026, thirty-five years since the release of Dawn Of Possession, and the group’s core of Bob Vigna and Ross Dolan remains intact, gifting us with their latest release, entitled simply, “Descent”. Drummer Steve Shalaty has occupied the drum throne since ‘03, and “new guy” Alex Bouks has been in the line-up for ten years. They’re even currently on tour with the likes of Behemoth, Rotting Christ, and Deicide. Jesus fucking christ! I mean, can one bill possibly be any heavier? If I understand Immolation’s songwriting process correctly, it is done by the band members recording their ideas and emailing them to each other. The four guys live in different parts of the country, and they’re rarely in the same room together. I don’t know if this is true, but I heard that before their massive tour for Atonement that they rehearsed as a group maybe a couple times, if at all, before hitting the road. With the complexity of their arrangements, this is utterly mind-boggling.

Well, one thing that Immolation always does is deliver the goods, and this holds true for their current release. With album opener 'These Vengeful Winds', you are punched directly in the gut with the malevolent power of this band. Ross Dolan sounds just as possessed as he did from the start all those years ago. His voice only seems to deepen and become more menacing with age. The aforementioned grandiosity of Immolation is most redolent in the lead guitar work of Bob Vigna. He is the dissonant master, extreme string bender, and harmonic pincher. If Shalaty’s kicks and snare sound heavily triggered, that’s because they are. I’m sure this makes the emailing of sound files more efficient. All I can say is that the dude is a beast who can recreate live anything that he’s laid down in the studio, because I’ve seen him do it. He even let me buy him a beer after the show.

The first time I heard the song 'God’s Last Breath', I thought wow, this is some sinister shit going down right here. Where Immolation truly excel is enshrouding the listener in their out and out blasphemy, and then dragging the listener through the flames of their music and into further, deeper chasms of the abyss. It’s a lumbering brute, which allows Shalaty’s bass drums to devastate properly. It’s when the blast beats start that you can detect the synthetic nature of the snare. This is just a minor gripe. The atmosphere achieved by this track and indeed throughout the entirety of the record is on the level of Close To A World Below. The closing lead work of this baddy is utterly diabolical. The first single, 'Adversary', proves that these guys are absolutely still capable of writing a hooky, even almost catchy, death metal song. The first section is aggro and blasty and topped with some of Vigna’s most colorful soloing of the album. It’s at about the 55-second mark that the hook is set with a jaunty 6/8 meter, an impressive pinch harmonic riff, and Ross bellowing about the lake of fire. You are ejected from this private garden party in hell with a driving sixteenth note groove which then kicks into sixth gear, blasting you into the ionosphere. WE ARE THE ADVERSARY, barks Dolan, with staid authority.

Seventh track 'Host' is a demonstration of Steve Shalaty’s overall drum kit mastery. A punishing and tribal tom-tom groove fills the ears with sensations of warm, organic-sounding drums, and indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rack and floor toms are not triggered. This groove is seamlessly replaced with mid-tempo 32nd note double bass destruction below some damnable riffage. The brutal cycle is completed when Shalaty brings back the tom-tom beat augmented with double bass beneath, a masterful performance. This song, of course, features the signature, hallucinogenic soloing of Vigna, and although I don’t have the lyrics, we can be assured that Dolan’s belligerence is blasphemous in nature. And if you think that bands like Deicide and Immolation need to branch out from blasphemy, I’m sorry, but the die is cast, and you may kindly fuck off.

And now for something completely different. I’m not sure if these guys have ever done a track that’s ambient and mellow all the way through, but that’s what 'Banished' is. Despite being subdued, the evil remains well intact with haunting melodies of piano, cello, and Vigna dabbling in some sort of Phrygian mode, among other strange and surreal synthesizer sounds. What this does is set the stage admirably for the closing and title track of this tome. This tune features one of Shalaty’s most memorable double bass patterns to be found, and the iniquitous chanting of Ross Dolan will become lodged in your brain. Vigna is on fire on this one; the dude is a chaos agent, what more can be said of him? The sacrilege of the six is on full display as the masters engulf and incinerate; after thirty-eight years, their bag is rather bottomless.

I’d just like to add right here that it is the highest honor and privilege to be reviewing the new Immolation record. My puny brain can barely comprehend their vast contribution to the death metal canon. Their music is legion. They are legend. 

Rating: 10 of 10 burning adversaries