Immolation - Here in After

Here in After was released on Roadrunner Records, which was then transitioning from its roots in underground metal toward more mainstream acts. The album is considered a high point of Roadrunner's death metal catalog alongside releases from peers like Deicide and Suffocation.

While Dawn of Possession (1991) was a strong conventional death metal debut, Here in After pushed into far more dissonant and abstract territory, with guitarist Robert Vigna's unconventional chord voicings creating an unsettling, angular sound. The 1996 album is widely regarded as the moment Immolation's distinct identity fully crystallized, setting them apart from the broader New York death metal scene.

Vigna employs unusual dissonant chord shapes, tritonal harmonies, and unpredictable tremolo patterns that sound almost atonal by conventional death metal standards. His approach on Here in After diverges sharply from the more straightforward riffing of peers like Terrance Hobbs of Suffocation, creating a sense of unease and dread that became Immolation's trademark.

The album features Ross Dolan on vocals and bass, Robert Vigna and Thomas Wilkinson on guitars, and Craig Smilowski on drums. This lineup recorded what many fans consider the definitive Immolation sound, though Smilowski departed after this album and was replaced by Alex Hernández on subsequent releases.