Thirty-five years of underground reign and still no drop-off: Descent, successor to Acts of God, posts an 85/100 across six reviews. Blabbermouth (9/10) states without blinking that this is « one of the greatest records Immolation have made yet »: ten tracks, zero filler, a « more direct and devastating » approach trading atmosphere for urgency, carried by Zack Ohren’s crystal-clear production. Sputnikmusic (4.8/5) drives it home: in their style, Ross Dolan and Robert Vigna « can’t be matched ».
The consensus celebrates exactly what AMG describes: « harmonized layers, multifaceted riffs » that unfold with every listen, waves of corkscrewing riffs « too weighty to move ». « These Vengeful Winds », « God’s Last Breath » and the title track show up on every shortlist.
The divergences hide in the details: AMG (3.5/5) finds the instrumental « Banished » expendable and the master too loud, too compressed. Nothing that dents the verdict — public at 78/100, press standing at attention: New York’s dissonant death kings only descend to rule better.