Fifteen years after its original release through Relapse, Hells Headbangers re-releases this beautiful full length on vinyl (double-LP available on black and silver / blue marble wax edition).
The stuff was originally recorded at the end of 1997 at Mars Studio with the band’s long-time producer Bill Korecky, and still it is considered as one of Incantation’s best recordings (but as a matter of fact: aren’t they all classics?). This time, John McEntee and Kyle Severn worked together with former Cenotaph / The Chasm’s Daniel Corchado, whose vocals differ from Craig Pillard’s, yet which are at least as merciless and hate-spawning.
The better part of the songs went on in the very same vein of Incantation’s first (cult-) releases, i.e. Onward To Golgotha and Mortal Throne Of Nazarene. The main difference, besides the vocal lines, might be the guitar sound, I guess, which is less ‘swampy’ and little more modern-sounding. Like the former albums (and the albums done afterwards as well), the songs on Diabolical Conquest are based on mainly fast to blasting fast tempos with a certain groovy undertone and a unique injection of slower, Doom-Death-oriented decelerations. This variation in speed is a trademark of the band, and heavily influential within the worldwide Death Metal scene; as it was then, and still nowadays.
The absolute highlight on the album (it isn’t but my personal opinion, but I’m sure many will agree), besides many great excerpts all over the record, must be closing hymn Unto Infinite Twilight / Majesty Of Infernal Damnation, a 16-minutes+ epic that show another face of the band, melting the known ingredients with a refreshing yet oh so bleak primal Doom-Death atmosphere and attitude. This massive creation varies a lot, i.e. it consists of many sections that, however, make a very cohesive totality. Remarkable!