Considering the amount of money I’ve spent over the years on Incantation shirts, hoodies and bootlegs, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I’ve been anticipating the release of Decimate Christendom since about 5 minutes after the release of Blasphemy. Once again, Incantation does not disappoint. In more than 15 years of existence, more than 35 musicians have played as part of the group, either in the studio or live, and even with the countless revolving line-ups, the band have remained true to their original sound, which is an utterly amazing feat. The formula has remained consistent over the years; solid blasting dark death metal with moments of darkened doom. If you own any single Incantation release then you know what to expect on Decimate Christendom, they’re like Bolt Thrower in that you always know what they’re going to sound like, and you both love them and are a diehard fanatic or you just don’t care. I’m what you would call the diehard fanatic. Things are a little different this time around, as the group recorded the effort as a three piece with Joe Lombard handling bass duties, Kyle Severn on drums and John McEntee handling not only his standard guitar duties, but also taking over on vocals. So how does this effort compare to prior Incantation efforts? Pretty well, actually. The album is a big step up from their last effort, Blasphemy, both in production as well as song writing and overall presentation. John’s vocals are on par with his predecessors Mike Saez, Daniel Corchado and even Craig Pillard. The drumming is as solid as ever, and the band sounds really tight, sounding as though they’ve played together as a three-piece the entire 15 years. The group does add a few twists and turns to their music to change things up, but generally stay on the tested and true path, and, personally, I have no problem with that at all. If you’re a fan of earlier Incantation, you’re going to love this. If you’re not a fan, chances are Decimate Christendom isn’t going to sway your opinion. If you’re unfamiliar with the band and looking for some dark death metal, Incantation is one of the first bands you should check out, and Decimate Christendom is definitely a good starting point.

Written By: Teufel