Inquisition: Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm

Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Macrocosm, the 2010 release by atmospheric black metal titans Inquisition, is a transcendent yet subversive delve into the realms beyond human comprehension. Like Wolves In The Throne Room, their musical style overwhelms the listener with subtlety.  Eerie soundscapes of dissonant guitars and jarring vocals make a sensory experience as intimidating as space itself.  The ambient growls are more fitting for the lyrical content of infinite, eternal  vastness, whereas the leads fall flat and frankly, sound like the work of an ameteur. However, this is only a technical point of view. Personally, I think the album hangs together by virtue of it's own authenticity, including the low-quality sound recording.

 The appeal of Inquisition is the raw nature of the music. This is very ambient, auditory stream-of-consciousness. Even the lead vocals, while unappealing at first, were an aquired taste that ultimately proved to be integral to the whole. This is an album that strives to embody the colossal, the celestial, and the mystical, and succeeds to do so, despite the modest budget. As I've mentioned, they couldn't afford to sell out even if they wanted to. The lack of polished artifice is actually what made the album so inviting to me. Everything from the album art to the production quality is a testament to the band's dedication to keep their integrity to their roots. Admittedly, the occasional sound clips were rather distracting, but otherwise, it was an enjoyably unrefined LP.  Three stars out of five.