Inquisition – Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult (2010)

Thanks to Hell’s Headbangers now many people can rejoice with Inquisition’s ultra Satanic masterpiece of Black Metal. “Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult” should be in every self-respecting Black Metal-head top 10 list of all times. Hailing from Colombia, this is one of the bands that took a different approach to raw low-fi Black Metal and made it sound fresh and interesting (back in 1998).

With their characteristically mournful and almost spoken vocals, the band managed to infuse the genre with that extra level of creepiness unlike anybody else was doing at the time. In this re-mastered re-release of the album we can hear everything 10 times more clearly than before, and this re-mastering is done in such a way that you still get the low-fi production values with added clarity creating a very effective mix.

Fore those of you that are expecting a tremolo-picking non-stop blastbeat attack, you will probably be disappointed since the band takes a ‘slower’ and more ritualistic approach to Black Metal that at points sounds like older Immortal stuff, just check the first 2 minutes of the song “Summoned by Ancient Wizards Under a Black Moon”. There are ‘heavy’ parts but this album rather focuses on the mysticism and rawness of the music.

The melodic aspect on this album is off the charts for whatever other BM bands where doing back in the day and also the drumming patters seem more fitting of a Death Metal release than a BM one. This melodic aspect perfectly fits with the mournful vocals and the overall ritualistic feeling of the music. Songs like “Those of the Night” are perfectly designed to send chills through your spine when the band goes into ‘melodic mode’.

The use of samples from movies (we assume) is perfectly done and helps with the buildup of the music’s atmosphere, and in songs like “Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult” they are supper effective in creeping people out. Near the end of the album we get even more experimentation with ‘slower’ songs that feel like the proper closing for the emotional rollercoaster presented by this majestic cult release.

Overall, if you like solid Black Metal that sounds low-fi, but is packed with great melodic sections, haunting vocals, powerful riffing and tight drumming, then this is the release for you. If you are looking for something super brutal and super raw, you should probably check out other of the label’s releases (like Profanatica’s “Disgusting Blasphemies Against God”). This release is a true cult masterpiece and now more people will get to enjoy it.

Release: June 22nd, 2010

Country: Colombia