Incantation – “Profane Nexus” [Album Review]

“Return of masters” could very well be a common term this year, especially within the realm of death metal (more specifically raw and dirty ‘old school’ death). 2017 has seen Immolation, Obituary, Evocation, Dying Fetus, and Suffocation, all veterans, bring to the table some of the strongest death metal releases in years. You better believe that Incantation wasn’t going to be stopping short of any output that is less crushing than those of the above-mentioned, and you can definitely find that here in this, their latest and greatest.

I remember seeing them on their first tour back in the early nineties, and it’s incredible that the fire they have is still as bright as ever. The way they have always blended brutal death metal and near-funeral doom, both often within the same tracks as in “Messiah Nostrum” and “Incorporeal Despair” going almost immediately into “Xipe Totec”, has been honed to near perfection. Vocalist and guitarist John McEntee sounds even more amped-up and fearsome after a quarter century, only serving to make tracks like “Les Sepulcri” visceral future classics in their repertoire.

“Ancients Arise” is an engaging and stunning track (perhaps one of the hardest-hitting pieces here) and also the longest at six minutes, but what a closer! The atmosphere present in Profane Nexus has been carefully constructed, down to the excellent album cover visual provided by the artistic skills of Israeli artist Eliran Kantor. From the old faithful to newcomers alike, Incantation’s latest depraved offering is sure to satisfy and secure it’s place in the collections of serious extreme metalheads worldwide.

Profane Nexus Track Listing:

01. Muse
02. Rites of the Locust
03. Visceral Hexahedron
04. The Horns of Gefrin
05. Incorporeal Despair
06. Xipe Totec
07. Les Sepulcri
08. Stormgate Convulsions from the Thunderous…
09. Messiah Nostrum
10. Omens to the Altar of Onyx
11. Ancients Arise

Run Time: 42:45
Release Date: August 11, 2017

Check out the band’s video for their single “Messiah Nostrum”