Incantation have always been standard bearers for death metal at its darkest and most grotesque. Few bands have ever topped their 1992 debut, Onward To Golgotha, and you can reasonably include Incantation themselves in that, even though the band’s catalogue is undeniably strong and deep. Therein lies the visceral joy of Sect Of Vile Divinities: not just the best-sounding album John McEntee’s crew have ever made – and, by Satan, it’s utterly fucking crushing – but also the most powerful batch of songs they’ve penned since that seminal kick-off. As ever, it’s all in the riffs, and from the vicious and unrelenting Propitiation to the hissing, hate-swamp of Unborn Ambrosia, the 12th Incantation album delivers the murderous goods with scything, serrated hook after hook. The old school remains firmly open for business (but wear a mask anyway, please).
