Incantation – Dirges Of Elysium (Listenable)

Incantation – Dirges Of Elysium (Listenable)

Incantation are at the institution phase of their career. If your death metal crawls through a dirty dirge, you probably owe a debt to the Pennsylvanian masters of muck and murk. So, given their long-established credentials, guitarist/vocalist John McEntee and company don’t have to reinvent themselves on new albums so much as they need to sound like themselves. If they can offer a couple cuts to freshen up the ultimate Incantation mixtape, then mission accomplished. Yet, there are points on their 10th full-length when they exceed expectations, such as the gloriously guttural “Bastion Of A Plague Soul,” which serves up 160 seconds that are filthier than untreated sewage. A quarter century in and still redefining the redline. Incantation still does the best Incantation. –Ian [LISTEN]