Here In After

This New York death metal outfit has definitely graduated from the school of hard knocks. The band endured being dropped from a record label and even booked their own international tour (Canada, U.S. and South America) before being picked up by Metal Blade Records. The label's president was so impressed by Immoliation's live show (and their die-hard underground following) that he signed the band on the spot. Tracks include "Nailed to Gold," "Born with Jesus," "I Feel Nothing" and "Christ's Cage."

In the five years between their debut album and Here in After, Immolation refined their creative vision into something more than a blend of their influences. This is an album of pure death metal, while earlier efforts still contained significant components of the thrash metal sound of the 1980s. The bending, winding pinch harmonic riffs that characterized Dawn of Possession are still abundant, but songs are now much more complex and harmonically dense. Rather than defining melody through single-string tremolo-picking, Immolation prefer a more rhythmic sense of composition. Dissonant chords are repeatedly used as emphasis over blastbeats, before everything slows to a gloomy crawl. A tendency toward syncopation and off-kilter drumming gives Immolation's sound an unsettling, wavering feel that can almost be described as "funky" (in the darkest sense of the word). The thick chord voicings favored by guitarist Bob Vigna are atonal in a way likely influenced by Voivod's Piggy d'Amour. While the playing on this release is extremely technical, it does not have the mechanical precision of other death metal bands. Bizarre time signatures and finger gymnastics give the impression of a decrepit ghost ship in murky, choppy waters rather than a robotic assassin. While song structures tend to meander, a clear narrative emerges through the repetition and variation of themes. Here in After is a complicated stew with plenty of flavors, yet each has a role to play. This album represents the invention of a new system of death metal composition that, while not as common as other iterations of the genre, is among the most engaging. The influence of Immolation is understated, yet it can be clearly heard in the discordance of bands like Gorguts. Here in After is a milestone in Immolation's long career and represents a foundational work of harmony in death metal. ~ Todd Nief, Rovi

Performer	Immoliation
Music genre	Heavy Metal, Rock
Music subgenre	Death Metal
Media format	CD
Original release date	1996
Language	English
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	Nailed to Gold, Born with Jesus, I Feel Nothing, Christ's Cage
Record label	Metal Blade
Track name	Nailed to Gold
Duration	37 min
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N