Stoned, entranced by the storm engulfing me with its powerful magic. So much evil, an imagery pile of blood sweeping the unbelievers away for all eternity, damn sometimes it is so compelling, but only if you can handle its grip because it can overcome you like a plague. Heading back to 1998, considered to be a special year in the history of the American blasphemers of INCANTATION, back then a trio of ravagers, one of the true tons of malevolence ground breakers of the first incarnation of Death Metal, to the side of DEICIDE while also challenging European luciferian aberrations such as SINISTER, released one of their career's important albums called "Diabolical Conquest". Hells Headbangers Records made sure that history will be revamped and display the ugly truth that maybe we have been losing something all these years.

INCANTATION didn't wait for any bell to chime, or any unholy chants to manifest through their air vents, they just shot it out straight away as there is not use to keep on holding the coming tornado. The underworld is real and it is coming for blood and as many souls as possible so there is no use to keep on impending the diabolical conquest any longer. What I have always liked about INCANTATION is that they don't seem to give a rats ass about what others would say, they slam and hard. They want to shock, produce the loudest, bastardized onslaughts in order to capture the attention of their listeners. It might be ugly at times, but it will cause a sensation that it is not easy to escape from, like a mouse trap or a good bottle of chilling beer. Dissecting the flesh with charring riffing, sick licks, booming active bass action, fast paced animosity skinning and grinding drums and tainted guttural vocals by one vocalist that six years later would leave the band leaving his role to his guitarist, INCANTATION didn't leave any room for error of how they would like to dismantle in the name of the lord downstairs. Whether genuine belief or not, it doesn't matter. Songs such as "Impending Diabolical Conquest", "Desecration (of the Heavenly Graceful)", the hymn of the undead, and could be used as a great ringtone to your phone, "Unheavenly Skies", doom infested epic that didn't settle on being long for nothing, "Unto Infinite Twilight / Majesty of Infernal Damnation" and the oh so fiendish bestial "Shadows of the Ancient Empire".

No doubt that there are good picks surrounding this eight track number. Of course that a few didn't quite capture me as I would have liked and also the band, and the engineering crew, had a few issues with the mix. Furthermore, INCANTATION have a few weak spots when it comes to recycling themselves or stretching sections just way too much. Nonetheless, it was still an eventful experience, a demonic listening incineration. Old school Death Metal fanatics should embrace and hold ton tight to this kind of release as Death Metal would never be or sound the same as back in the old days.