Immolation

Immolation ranks among America's most pivotal death metal ensembles, having originated in Yonkers, New York during 1986. Alongside other extreme metal provocateurs from the N.Y.C. vicinity such as Incantation, Mortician, and Suffocation, the group swiftly claimed a leading position in the underground. Guitarist Robert Vigna and vocalist/bassist Ross Dolan have guided the band as its sole unchanging members, building a catalog of acclaimed recordings that include Dawn of Possession (1991), Close to a World Below (2000), Unholy Cult (2002), and Atonement (2010), each fusing raw force with technical command. Their eleventh studio LP, Acts of God, appeared in 2022.

The outfit began under the name Rigor Mortis with an initial roster of singer/bassist Ross Dolan, guitarists Robert Vigna and Thomas Wilkinson, and drummer Craig Smilowski. A succession of favorably received demos led to a 1991 contract with Roadrunner and the release of the debut album Dawn of Possession. Five years and a shift to Metal Blade elapsed before the arrival of Here in After. New drummer Alex Hernandez joined for the 1999 return via Failure for Gods, followed a year later by the celebrated Close to a World Below, the final Metal Blade outing. A 2001 agreement with French independent label Listenable Records yielded further well-regarded releases including Unholy Cult, Harnessing Ruin, and Shadows in the Light, the last two marking the introduction of drummer Steve Shalaty.

Majesty and Decay in 2010 became the first album issued through Nuclear Blast, while 2013's Orwellian Kingdom of Conspiracy introduced the band's initial concept album. Atonement arrived in 2017 as the tenth studio long-player and earned near-universal acclaim. Five years afterward the group delivered the uncompromising Acts of God, further sharpening its signature fusion of old-school and new-school death metal.