UMUR "Providence" is a 5 track, 18:56 minutes long EP release by US death metal act Immolation. The EP was made available for free download by Scion Audio Visuals in October 2011. It´s the same site that released "The Sleeping Gods" EP by Enslaved for free in early 2011. "Providence" was released to mark the 20 year anniversary of the release of Immolation´s debut full-length studio album "Dawn of Possession (1991)". While the band was already founded in 1986 under the Rigor Mortis monicker and recorded a couple of demos under that monicker before changing their name to Immolation in late 1987, recording another couple of demos, "Dawn of Possession" was the band´s official label debut.

The music on the EP is in the signature brutal and techncially well played death metal style that Immolation are known for. "Providence" is one of the band´s more easily accessible releases as the tracks are pretty straight forward and also more memorable after first listen, than some of their more challenging releases. Robert Vigna´s riffs are every bit as twisted and dissonant as usual though and that also goes for the drumming on the album. Technically well played and intricate. Ross Dolan´s growls are brutal and deep yet relatively intelligible. The quality of the 5 tracks is high. "Providence" is not the kind of EP where the band experiments or releases outtakes that didn´t make the cut for regular studio albums. I guess the use of keyboards in "Illumination" is an unusual feature in Immolation´s music but it´s nice to hear them adding another element to their sound.

For fans of the band "Providence" is of course a must have and that´s regardless of the fact that the EP is offered as a free download. More importantly though, the fact that "Providence" is offered up for free download should give some of the people who don´t know Immolation and their music a brilliant chance to right that wrong. This is a chance to get to know one of the most original and groundbreaking death metal acts on the scene. A 4 star rating is fully deserved.