intothewellsabyss

Jul 16, 20235 min read

Immolation — Dawn of Possession

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

32 years ago, there was "No Forgiveness (Without Bloodshed)" as "Those Left Behind" were cast "Into Everlasting Fire" at the "Dawn of Possession"!

On July 16, 1991, Immolation released their debut full-length studio album, “Dawn of Possession” via R/C (Roadracer) Records (American division of Roadrunner Records).

The bands first and only album released on R/C (Roadracer) Records, it was recorded and mixed at Musiclab Studios in Berlin, Germany.

The album was later re-issued and re-mastered by Metal Mind Productions as a limited-edition digipak, on April 24, 2006, with bonus videos.

Background:

Immolation was founded after the demise of Rigor Mortis (NY), a band formed in May 1986 by Andrew Sakowicz (bass guitar, vocals) Dave Wilkinson (drums), and Robert Vigna (guitar). After recording the Decomposed and Warriors of Doom demos, Sakowicz left the band in early 1988 and was replaced by Ross Dolan, and the band's name was changed to "Immolation". The new lineup put out two studio demos, in 1988 and 1989, and gained a worldwide following in the underground Death Metal scene. Immolation signed a record deal with Roadrunner Records and released their debut album “Dawn of Possession”.

The Wells Perspective:

Throughout the late 80’s to mid 90’s a person heard about a band or album through word of mouth, your favorite (Metal) magazine or by seeing the cool album art while skimming through albums at your local record store! I found many great albums (and a few duds) just by eyeing the great album art. And, that is exactly how I discovered “Dawn of Possession” by Immolation! On one of my excursions to my favorite local record store, I spied the killer artwork while looking for another album that I was there to purchase! So, I bought it, took it home, popped the cassette tape in, and was hooked immediately upon the opening of “Into Everlasting Fire”!

As harbingers of technical Death Metal, Immolation’s trademark of blasphemy is as notorious as any number of those who spearheaded the Death Metal scene. Revered by many as one of the most influential bands in the genre, the foundation for every album henceforth, can be found in the framework of “Dawn of Possession”.

In an interview with Decibel Magazine (for the 30th anniversary of the album), Chris Dick stated that he felt the album had anti-Catholic sentiments, to where Ross Dolan replied:

“Catholicism, yes. We were familiar with it, but it’s more anti-religion. We used that to turn it around and voice how we felt. We just wanted to use their words to point out the hypocrisy. The entire record wasn’t fully immersed in the anti-religion themes. There are other topics we’re exploring, too. We had our points of view on the subject, and people really related to what we had to say. We didn’t have a Satanic approach either. We weren’t about that. We’d always get asked if we were a Satanic band, but we weren’t. That’s what not what we were or are about today. We were anti-religious for sure. We tried to write our lyrics in an intelligent, artful way, but still to the point. We didn’t want to lead people by the hand, but our message was there and it was strong. There’s a thread of continuity involving religion or anti-religion throughout our records. There’s always something to write about. [Laughs] It surprises me that fucked up shit still happens regarding religion.”

As an album opener, "Into Everlasting Fire" is a prime example of malevolence and pure hostility. The brutal riffs of the twin guitars, compounded by Ross Dolan's aural assault is as maniacal a display one could ever bare witness to. While many have tried to emulate him, Ross' low, guttural vocals are easily identifiable. Sounding most vehement here, Ross plunges deep into the bowels of hell, adding intermittent gravelly notes throughout. The guitar riffs here aren’t quite as eccentric as Immolation have become well known for in later years, but the fitful essence of their guitar work can be heard throughout. The partition of the guitar tracks also produces an impenetrable and ambient wall of sound. Robert Vigna’s use of pinch-harmonics, bounded by unorthodox mid-tempo grooves in "Despondent Souls" is not only a common occurrence here, but throughout the span of Immolation’s later efforts.

As for the album art, the old “tried and (mostly) true” method of judging a work by its cover had turned me onto a Death Metal masterpiece. Graphic artist Andreas Marschall’s interpretation of the bands concept had perfectly depicted the utter blasphemy and brilliance of “Dawn Of Possession”.

When asked by Chris Dick about the art concept and what it was like working with Andreas Marschall, Robert Vigna replied;

“We came up with concept and provided that concept to him. It all started with a rough sketch that was sent to us by fax. We could barely tell what it was—an ink or pencil sketch—but that’s what we had to go by. Back then, unless you had a big budget, the best you could hope for was a fax. That was it. So, we got the fax, we made some suggestions, and the next thing we knew we had the film of the cover FedEx-ed to us. We had to go down to the Roadrunner office to check it out. Monte pretty much said, “Well, here it is. Here you go.” I remember hold it up to the light, thinking, “Wow! This thing is fucking unbelievable.” Andreas had nailed it! It was really well done.

I think we only asked Andreas to make a few changes. One of the angels had a necklace and a huge bust. More sexual. We didn’t want that to take away from the rest of the image.”

To where Ross Dolan concluded;

“We wanted a more classic angel. Biblical not sexual. We wanted to keep it in that realm. More tasteful, I would say.“

In conclusion; from the beautifully wicked & blasphemous cover art, to the technically driven, riff-heavy aural assault, “Dawn Of Possession” is a very important release from the (then) burgeoning genre of Death Metal. The album is chock-full of fascinating moments, from the intro to "Those Left Behind" up to its monumental closer, "Fall In Disease." In my book, it is most definitely a "must have" release for any fan of Death Metal, old-school or new! — E.N. Wells

Critical Reception:

Writing for AllMusic, Greg Prato stated;

“Although Death Metal is a style quite familiar to metalheads worldwide circa the early 21st century, during its early days in the late '80s/early '90s it was a genre still finding an audience and fighting for respect. An early supporter of this style was New York's Immolation, whose debut release, “Dawn of Possession”, was issued in 1991 via Roadrunner (back when the label was not yet the global powerhouse it is today).

Out of print for several years, 2006 saw the ten-track album reissued via the Metal Mind Productions label. Although it will never go down in metal history as a landmark album à la “Master of Puppets” or “Reign in Blood”, “Dawn of Possession” does show a band mastering a style that would eventually become quite commonplace in Metal (growled vocals, computer-precision riffing and drumming, etc.). And the song titles certainly follow the "Death Metal" guidelines -- especially "Into Everlasting Fire," "Internal Decadence," "Burial Ground," etc. Looking back on it years later, “Dawn of Possession” was certainly a notable release in what would eventually be known as the "Extreme Metal" style.”

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

▶ Listen to “Dawn of Possession” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/dawn-of-possession/795254138

▶ Listen to “Dawn of Possession” via Spotify: Dawn Of Possession

▶ Follow Immolation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/immolation?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Immolation — Dawn of Possession

Background:

The Wells Perspective:

Critical Reception:

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

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