Review Summary: A tremendous album, let down by a decidedly underwhelming production job. The songwriting isn't quite as tight as 'Here In After,' yet it isn't that far off.
Releasing a masterpiece such as 'Here In After' brings with it enormous expectations for the eventual follow-up. New York-based death metal band Immolation were, of course, well aware of this when beginning work on their third album, and the result is - unsurprisingly - another fantastic album. Initial impressions of this album were a little lukewarm, due primarily to a weaker production job, yet it is a celebrated classic within the band's discography with good reason.
Fans of the previous record will of course be aware of Immolation's sound, yet for those uninitiated, the band's sound is characterized by constantly adjusting tempos, sections containing two completely different riffs, and an infatuation with the use of pinched harmonics, all topped off with Ross Dolan's recognizable grunts and snarls. 'Failures For Gods' doesn't attempt to fix what clearly wasn't broken, as the opener "Once Ordained" clearly showcases. The vastly slowed down section around three minutes into the song leads effortlessly into a hyper-fast blast beat section accompanied by a berserk shredded solo, giving a great example of the manner in which the band's tempos fluctuate to great effect.
Whilst not being poor by any stretch of the imagination, the first three songs of this album are actually some of the weakest material in Immolation's initial run of albums. "No Jesus, No Beast," in particular comes across as corny, with the repetition of "death to Jesus, can you hear us," intended as a hook of sorts, yet falling flat. Again, these three opening tracks are not bad, but they represent the lowest points of the album, with the remaining runtime excelling. "Unsaved" opens with an atmospheric section almost reminiscent of "Christ's Cage," before the weaving and winding riffs give a threatening, ominous background to Ross' gruff vocals. A certain riff just over halfway into the song serves as a brilliant transition into one of those pinched harmonic-punctuated riffs that are so prominent throughout the band's career, and it sounds incredible here.
"Your Angel Died" opens with a rather weak sound, primarily due to the underwhelming production, but the riffs themselves are brilliant and more than make up for it. The tremolo picked riff ends each cycle with a fill from the drummer, giving a tremendous canvas for Ross to build upon. This is merely the prologue, however, to the magnificent closing song, "The Devil I Know." Remember that "threatening, ominous" description of the atmosphere for "Unsaved?" Well, this one has the same traits, whilst also feeling simply majestic. The riffs constantly adjust, with wild leaps in tempo mid-riff to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. The stops and starts a minute and a half into the song then lead into a section where Ross' vocals sync up with the drums, a highly intelligently written passage. Whilst I feel the songwriting here isn't quite as good as that on its predecessor, it's still a really impressive record.
Immolation's 'Failures For Gods' isn't a great gateway into the band's music. The slightly underwhelming production here renders it a little more inaccessible, and yet this is a really great album well worth a listen in all its malice and brutal hostility. Again, I do not feel this lives up to 'Here In After,' but it is a very worthy follow-up, and one that the band would expand upon further in their following release 'Close To A World Below.'
