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A superb example of how crushing and solid free can be.-
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| Immolation: Providence |
Death Metal
Scion A/V
October 11th, 2011
- What They Bring - 3:16
- Illumintion - 3:34
- Still Lost - 3:15
- Providence - 4:12
- Swallow the Fear - 4:40
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| Review Information |
Release length: 18:57
Review posted on October 21st, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 8.5/10 |
 
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Dawn of Possession (1991) • Here in After (1996) • Failures for Gods (1999) • Close to a World Below (2000) • Unholy Cult (2002)
Harnessing Ruin (2005) • Shadows in the Light (2007) • Majesty and Decay (2010)
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| EP(s): |
Hope and Horror (2007) • Providence (2011)
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| Demo(s): |
Demo I (1988) • Demo II (1989) • 1994 Promotional demo (1994)
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| Compilation(s): |
Stepping on Angels... Before Dawn (1995)
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| DVD(s): |
Bringing Down the World (2004)
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| Review |
Scion A/V brings us yet another formidable EP release, and for free from their website even! The Death Metal act Immolation return with their latest offering, a five song digital EP titled Providence. After tearing through the metal scene and earning a large and loyal fanbase, this group has proved their merit album after album throughout the years. But, does Providence have what it takes for their loyal followers hungry for something new, or does the prospect of a free download hinder the effort on this EP?
The audio to Providence is what you want for a Death Metal recording of any kind. The guitars here sound blunt and just hammer away with guitar solos that are a bit higher pitched with the distortion and often short, but very sweet to the faster pace on many tracks here. The bass backs them up nicely as well, giving the traditional guitar sound a much heavy sound to work with the sometime chaotic approach the songs take. Then you have the drums with loud, deep bass-driven thuds to the kicks, sharp tight pounding snares, and cymbols that are just shy of being very dominant though still make a great impact. All of this is coupled with the expected deep gutturals to create a truly bludgeoning sound that works perfectly with the atmosphere of the recording. This become obvious the second "What They Bring" kicks in, wasting no time to give you some simpler yet pounding Death Metal that plays up a violent desperation again guttural, merciless vocals, going in and out of that mid-tempo trudging pace with varying blast beats and rhythms thrown in, and of course a solid breakdown that's as crushing and doom-ridden (in environment and not the style) as the rest of the track that continues to build upon it's own cacaphony of brutality.
But it doesn't stop there. "Illumination" ushers in some creepy ritualistic material with that same mid-tempo trudging sound, but also adds some haunting keyboards to the mix that really feed into the more horrorific sound of the track. The constantly hammering pace never really picks up in speed and simply brutalizes you from the start until it's very creepy end, allowing the music to fade but the keyboards to continue for a short period before again building the music up to a fitting, more energetic conclusion. This track stands out nicely because of the atmosphere that it weaves, unlike the rest of the album where the main focus seems to stem solely on crushing music with varying speeds of aggression and desolation. Of course, this is far from a bad thing considering the solid material Immolation offers to their listeners here. The only track that doesn't quite make a large impact on the listener is the title track, "Providence." The song follows the same kind of aggressive brutality the other tracks follow, but that becomes the problem. It starts to sound a bit rehashed from earlier tracks and doesn't offer much outside that slower pace through much of the song and crushing atmosphere that doesn't quite step on one's soul like the first few tracks did. It's far from a bad song, it just feels a bit too bland given what the band brings to the table on songs like "Illumination" and even the intense closing track "Swallow the Fear."
Overall, Providence is surprisingly strong for a free download. The material here is top notch and you can tell the band put a great deal of effort into creating a bleak, crushing release from start to finish. With only one hiccup being the title track and it's less unique sound compared to the other songs, Immolation really shake the concept of quality material verses cost effectiveness, and in this economy the band ushers in a welcome breath of fresh air for those of us strapped for cash with this one, and it's a move that many will find giving more respect to both the band, as well as the label issuing this one. If you haven't checked out Providence yet, then now is your chance, and it becomes a must have release for the Metal fan in all of us, especially if you are a fan of the band to begin with.
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