You can certainly say that Impaled Nazarene have had a long and illustrious career since their beginnings over twenty years ago, and 2014 marks the release of their twelfth full-length album, Vigorous And Liberating Death, which is quite possibly their best album yet.
Sometimes it takes a while for an album to properly grow on you, or sometimes it grips you right from the get-go, and Vigorous And Liberating Death certainly falls in the latter category because it instantly takes hold of your interest with the shrieking introduction to King Reborn and doesn’t let go until the outro to Hostis Humani Generis.
Flaming Sword Of Satan is a particular highlight, opening with a deliciously dirty-sounding guitar line that’s destined to be stuck in your brain for all eternity, and as the song progresses it’s difficult to stop yourself from banging your head along to it. The title track is another particularly strong inclusion, an energetic and punchy song with a wonderful urgency to it, and the fast-paced vocals lend themselves well to the track in particular.
The album closes with Hostis Humani Generis, which is an epic closer to the album. It starts off slow and atmospheric, but then the band bring the noise. The numerous switches from slow to fast tempo work well for the track, and it resonates in your mind long after it fades away.
Vigorous And Liberating Death is incredible and if this isn’t a release that you’re thinking about checking out once it’s released, you seriously need to re-evaluate your life.
9/10
