There's just no question that Incantation is either evil or brutal, but unless that's all
you're looking for, Diabolical Conquest may leave you a little dry. I've listened to this album
about 25 times, but whenever I go to write my thoughts on this satanic epic, I can hardly remember
anything about the album besides a few riffs. However, those few riffs do certainly sear into your skull,
especially the opening on track one (Shadows of the Ancient Empire comes to mind as well). The whole
album pretty much lumbers along at a steady pace, pausing to change moods momentarily on Unheavenly Skies
before pounding us back into the fray. Much like Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse, this stuff is hard
for me to digest all at once I suppose, for after a few tracks, everything has sorta melded together for me.
Now, while I
personally don't really get into this, it is a solid death slab worthy of induction into the kindgom of all that
is less-than-holy, and those that wouldn't have it any other way most likely have this monster already.
Probably best as an apocalyptic mood piece, for closer Unto Infinite Twilight... is just
devastating while clocking in at
over 16 minutes! Overall, a solid 8 for those in the brutal death fold (out skinning goats as I write, it's
gotta be goat-skinning time somewhere!) but a 7 for me, for while it'll throw me across the room, it's just not
my first choice for musical intoxication (although if I go back to grad school it'll probably never leave the
CD player). 7 out of 10
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