Incantation is an American death metal band formed by John McEntee and Paul Ledney in 1989. Despite the band's members currently residing in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Incantation are considered leaders in the New York City death metal scene along with Suffocation, Mortician and Immolation.

To date, the band has released twelve full-length albums, two live albums, four EPs, two singles, three split-EPs, one DVD, and three demos. Their most recent album, Unholy Deification, was released through Relapse Records in August 2023. The band have maintained a significant cult following and underground popularity since the '90s.

Guitarist and vocalist John McEntee is the sole continuous member of Incantation, though drummer Kyle Severn has appeared on every studio album since their third full-length, Diabolical Conquest.

History

Incantation was formed in August 1989 by Paul Ledney (drums and vocals), Aragon Amori (bass), Brett Makowski (rhythm guitar) and John McEntee (lead guitar). McEntee previously played in a thrash metal band called Revenant. In 1990, disagreements in the band over whether to incorporate black metal elements, corpse paint and blasphemous lyrics led Ledney, Amori and Makowski to depart from the band, instead forming black metal Profanatica.

After leaving Incantation, former vocalist Craig Pillard joined New Jersey death metal act Disma in 2008, from which he was fired in 2019 due to allegations of Nazi sympathies. The members of Incantation defended themselves after coming under fire due to their prior association with him, affirming they had no knowledge of his political leanings until two years after he had left the band. They would tour with Marduk again the following year, bringing along American death metal band Abysmal Dawn. In 2019, Incantation supported Morbid Angel on tour in the US along with Swedish black metal band Watain.

Incantation performed at Milwaukee Metal Fest in June 2024. The band supported Belphegor on their US tour in the winter of 2026 along with Hate and Narcotic Waste. During this tour, they stated that they stated that they did not always have access to food. Fans of the band donated dry goods and nonperishable food to the band, though the band would in turn donate this to food drives for those less fortunate than them. In March, they co-headlined the first Shamrock Slaughter festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana with Sanguisugabogg. They are scheduled to return to Milwaukee Metal Fest in June 2026.

Musical style and influences

Thom Jurek of AllMusic described Incantation's sound as "ferocious" and "mercilessly brutal," and categorized the band's style as a fusion of death metal, black metal, and grindcore. He added that the band utilizes "punishing" guitar riffs and "widely varying tempos." Incantation has also been noted for elements of doom metal present in their music. The band often employs slow and down-tuned passages, similar to the death-doom style of bands like Autopsy.

Legacy

Incantation are considered leaders in the New York City death metal scene along with Suffocation, Mortician and Immolation. Incantation are also considered to be highly influential on a range of later death metal bands including Dead Congregation, Grave Miasma, and Portal, who are often described as "cavernous death metal."

Frontman John McEntee spoke of the band's influence in a 2023 interview with New Noise Magazine: "We really wanted to push the limits of death metal at a time when I didn’t realize that, one day, it would be its own thing. I just always thought it would just be kind of us doing us, you know? And now I hear other bands; they really capture that style that we play, especially early on. And it’s super cool to hear that."

Band members

Current official members

  • John McEntee — lead and rhythm guitars , vocals
  • Kyle Severn — drums
  • Chuck Sherwood — bass
  • Luke Shively — lead and rhythm guitars , bass

Former official members

Discography

Studio albums

  • Onward to Golgotha (1992)
  • Mortal Throne of Nazarene (1994)
  • Diabolical Conquest (1998)
  • The Infernal Storm (2000)
  • Blasphemy (2002)
  • Decimate Christendom (2004)
  • Primordial Domination (2006)
  • Vanquish in Vengeance (2012)
  • Dirges of Elysium (2014)
  • Profane Nexus (2017)
  • Sect of Vile Divinities (2020)
  • Unholy Deification (2023)

Compilation albums

  • XXV (2016)
  • Unholy Massacre (2016)
  • Tricennial of Blasphemy (2022)

Rough Mix albums

  • Upon the Throne of Apocalypse (1995)
  • Blasphemous Cremation (2008)

EPs

  • Entrantment of Evil (1990)
  • Deliverance of Horrific Prophecies (1991)
  • The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish (1997)
  • Blasphemous Cremation (2008)

Singles

  • "Thieves of the Cloth" (2006)
  • "Scapegoat" (2010)
  • "Degeneration" (2012)

Splits

  • Relapse Singles Series Vol.1 (2002)
  • Relapse Singles Series Vol.3 (2004)
  • Afterparty Massacre (2011)
  • Reh & Live 1990 / Jesus Spawn (2013)

Live albums

  • Tribute to the Goat (1997)
  • Live Blasphemy in Brazil Tour 2001 (2001)
  • Rotting Spiritual Embodiment (2017)

References

Bibliography