Review: “Immakulate Invokations” by Atavistic Decay

“Mother of abominations, dominator of beast, fermenter of filth! ‘Immakulate Invokations’ begins in the dionysion ecstasy of maniacal speed, engulfing you in bestial pleasure. A sonic invocation to the sacred whore, ecstasy devolves into slow, painful reflection. As your past ’self’ lies decimated, we invite the listener to transcend the flesh of what once was, and enter a profane and iconoclastic state of transformation, of self-creation and self-pleasure.” ~ Atavistic Decay

Birthed in 2023 in Indianapolis, it wasn’t until January 2024 when Death Doom machine Atavistic Decay announced themselves to an unsuspecting world with “Demo MMXXIV“, a subsequently very well received four track affair combining low, churn and burn riffage with dark and oppressive atmospheres. Perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise given the trail of the dead that bassist Steven Garcia (Cursed Blade, Gnaw Bone, Truus, Untenable, Hive Mind), drummer Mathias Schwingle (R’lyeh, Deprive the Deceased), guitarist Brice Bitner and vocalist guitarist Jynk (Chaff) leave in their wake…

Building on the foundation of skulls they created with that near half an hour long debut and its madness inducing dense textures, hazy visions and dirge laden riffs means that unease, in both the physical and psychological senses of the word, might be what you expect from this sophomore record. Comprising just over fourteen minutes of new music, the twin track affair is an uncompromising, restless and relentless affair that will cause your death nerve to twitch after you’ve suffocated. Title track “Immaculate Invokations” is seven minute slab of brutality that is reminiscent of works by the projects of Australian guitarist Brendan Auld like Resin Tomb, Siberian Hell Sounds and Snorlax. Cavernous, repugnant and soaked in both plague and pestilence, its vile rhythms reverberate with pure unadulterated evil. Jynk combines death growls with whispers as part of the murky atmospheric, the drums not as muddy as you might have expected given the raw nature of the recording. It sounds like it was done in a basement torture chamber hell even though it is credited as being engineered a mixed by Carl Byers (Black Goat of the Woods, Vicious Blade, Cadaverous) at Clandestine Arts Recordings and mastered by Dan Lowndes (Ancient Torment, Corpsessed, Mortual) at Resonant Sound Studio, which is testament to both of them. After the crushing, low and slow power of the weighty opening cut “Transcend the Flesh” sounds more like something you’d expect to hear on the soundtrack to 1979’s Alien as we observe Nostromo moving through the eternal darkness of space. Unsettling in its dark ambience, it is one to make you question what lurks in the shadows when your sleep deprived brain cries out in anguish. The synths are so eerie that when the haunting whispers of ghosts in the fog rise from the black depths, you may question if they’re on the recording or simply inside your head. This is the kind of work that Italian Death Metal purveyors Fulci would enjoy and then take Atavistic Decay on the road… [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Immaculate Invokations
2. Transcend the Flesh

“Immakulate Invokations” by Atavistic Decay is out now digitally over at bandcamp and will be available on 7″ vinyl on 3rd October via Night Terrors Records