Year: 2020
Total Time: 1:04:48
Label: Agonia Records

INQUISITION are a unique Black Metal band that stands out for the consistent quality of their  discography and their distinct personal sound. It’s been four years since the rulers of the underworld traveled us into the satanic stratosphere of “Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith” and the question that was born  since then was whether and when the band would be able, after the strange events of 2016, to return. The answer to this question is been given by INQUISITION themselves in a particularly emphatic way and more specifically with their new album “Black Mass For A Mass Grave”.

The album is characterized by a massive sound that impresses and the amazing, once again, guitar work by Dagon, who has written some of the best leads of his career. The album is furious in its beginnings with “Spirit Of The Black Star” and “Luciferian Rays” creating a false sense of a stormy Black Metal record, as with the exception of the above mentioned songs along with “Triumph Cosmic Death” and “Beast Of Creation And Master Of Time”, the remaining songs move in mid-tempo rhythms with an epic atmosphere and influences from IMMORTAL and Doom Metal. The familiar melodies by INQUISITION are present in all compositions with Dagon having added some effects so that the guitar in moments has a “tragic” almost “fatalistic” tone, while the slow songs have an emotional “nostalgic” charge, while in parts some keys have been used giving a Dungeon synth atmosphere.

The production of the album has the same sound design to its predecessor “Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith”, as are the vocals of Dagon who has now abandoned the old “frog-like” vocals, as many have described them, and I think he did very well. The compositions musically follow the path of the masterpiece “Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystic Macrocosm”, without being able to reach it qualitatively of course, although there are two to three compositions that could be considered within the best of the band’s career.

INQUISITION belong to the bands that, because of their unique personal sound, cannot be compared to any other band except themselves. Ιn this comparison, “Black Mass For A Mass Grave” is the winner. The band returns triumphantly by releasing not only a clearly better release than their previous album but a great Black Metal record overall  with some new elements within their already distinctive music.

Rating: 7.5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: INQUISITION – Facebook Page