Kingdom of Conspiracy explained

Kingdom of Conspiracy
Type:studio
Artist:Immolation
Cover:Immolation Kingdom of Conspiracy album cover.jpg
Released:May 10, 2013
Recorded:Millbrook Sound Studios in New York
Genre:Death metal
Length:40:48
Label:Nuclear Blast
Producer:Paul Orofino
Prev Title:Majesty and Decay
Prev Year:2010
Next Title:Atonement
Next Year:2017

Kingdom of Conspiracy is the ninth studio album by American death metal band Immolation. It was released on May 10, 2013 through Nuclear Blast Records.[1] The album is Immolation's first concept album and was produced by Paul Orofino, who has produced every Immolation album since 1999's Failures for Gods.[2]

Concept

Kingdom of Conspiracy continues to explore political subject matter rather than the anti-religion topics that dominated the band's earlier releases. Ross Dolan said this is the band's first concept album and that it was influenced by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.[3] He described the theme in an interview with Metal Blast:

The album artwork, by Pär Olofsson, also elaborated upon the concept. As guitarist Robert Vigna explained, the figures are shackles with their eyes and mouths sewn shut to represent "the chilling of speech and the intentional blinding of the masses."[4] Furthermore, the large structure in the background, which Vigna described as "ominous", symbolized the growth of the security state and the consequent failing of existing social structures.

Reception

Kingdom of Conspiracy received positive reviews from music critics. Writing for About.com, Dave Schalek called the album "essential," praising its "big, baroque songs with atypical, swirling riffs." Denise Falzon of Exclaim wrote that the band "push[es] their boundaries with fresh, innovative twists, in order to create albums that build upon their style while remaining distinctly Immolation." At Pitchfork, Hank Shteamer called the band "one of the most rewarding veteran acts in the genre" and said that "like their contemporaries Suffocation and Incantation, Immolation are currently producing some of the strongest material of their career, an expertly calibrated blend of the byzantine and the straightforwardly brutal, simply by following their own muse."

The album debuted at number 13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. Immolation's previous album, Majesty and Decay, had debuted at number 29 on the same chart.[5]

Personnel

Immolation

Production

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Immolation: Kingdom Of Conspiracy Artwork, Track Listing Revealed. Blabbermouth. June 2, 2013. March 4, 2013.
  2. Web site: Allmusic's credits listings for Immolation's albums. Allmusic. June 15, 2013.
  3. Web site: Falzon. Denise. Immolation Talk the Orwellian Themes of Kingdom of Conspiracy. Exclaim!. June 2, 2013. May 24, 2013. When I read 1984 back in grade school, it was a very dark book to me and it was a very scary book, and unfortunately, a lot of what Orwell was writing about back in 1948 is starting to happen now. That's basically what the album is about, and each song has that common thread running through it and each song is kind of like a different symptom of this sickness that we see today all around us.".
  4. Web site: Immolation: Official 'Kingdom Of Conspiracy' Lyric Video Released. Blabbermouth. June 16, 2013. March 27, 2013.
  5. Web site: [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=immolation|chart=all}} Immolation - Chart history]. Billboard Magazine. June 16, 2013.