UMUR
"Harnessing Ruin" is the sixth full-length studio album by US, New York based death metal act Immolation. The album was released through Listenable Records in February 2005. It´s the successor to "Unholy Cult" from 2002 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Alex Hernandez has been replaced by Steve Shalaty.
Stylistically there are few surprises if you´re already familiar with the last couple of albums by the band, as this is unmistakably the sound of Immolation. Twisted dissonant riffs, creative leads, labyrinthical drum patters, anti-christian/blasphemous lyrics, and cavernous deep growling vocals. This is through and through the sound of Immolation. That also means an adventurous approach to composing death metal that is quite unique. While the band certainly have core elements which they use on every track, the songs aren´t always linear and they can be quite challenging listens.
Being as consistent in style as Immolation are does have the side-effect that "Harnessing Ruin" feels like more of the same though (despite the twists and turns of each track), and as the sound production is on the thin side lacking a bit of heavy bottom (the guitars are a bit powerless sounding, and the drums thin and clicky sounding), it´s not among the most remarkable releases in the band´s discography. The quality of the songwriting and the high level musicianship are still redeeming factors, so a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved, which of course speaks volumes about the generally high quality of Immolation´s output.
