The battle rages on between black metal and Christianity.A sub-genre that is at least 25 years in at this point and was founded at least partially as a refutation of the way that Christianity had been used to subvert the traditional and pagan belief systems in the Scandinavian country is still going strong and still firing shots straight at the heart of Jesus believers everywhere.Many bands have joined the fight and it has expanded well beyond Scandinavia, and it doesn't show any signs of letting up any time soon.
Along come Infernus with their headlong charge into the battle.When I first heard this album, it has all the sounds and hallmarks of old-school black, and I assumed it had to be one of the many obscure titles that find re-release these days.I was stunned to learn that these guys are from right here in the great Northwest and they are a new-ish band, this being only their second album.They play like seasoned vets and the recording is spot on old school.The only clue that they aren't first generation is a healthy dose of thrash-tasticness in the mix.Make no mistake, these guys get it and they bring it.This album has been in steady rotation since I received the promo.
The album opens with a short intro, full of screams and howls and spoken word bits, and then the boys get right to it with the title track.They show their true black roots on 3 rd track, "Worms of the Casket", one of my favorites on this release.As I said, this is pretty traditional stuff, but that doesn't mean its not very good, very well done stuff.The pitch black blasphemy oozes out of every note on this one and throughout the album.There is nothing wrong with being reverential towards what has been done and putting your own spin on things.
Another favorite is "Sodomfeast", which I hope is a way to just express, like, a sodomy party and not literally a feast, because not everyone would be into that.It is thrashing and grinding and kvlt as fuck, so it has all of those things going for it.I really dig the next track as well, "Fetid Spawn of Bethlehem".Everything about it, from the title to the lyrics to the music, is brutal and heavy.If you say it just right, you can do it to the tune of "O, Little Town of Bethlehem", which just makes it all the more perverted in my book.And you gotta love a song title like "Hang the Gutted Christians".
This is a top notch release from Moribund Records, who are just killing it in 2015 with their releases.And I'm not just saying that because the guy who runs the label happens to be named Odin.Any new release by a newer band that harkens back to the great old ones and still brings something new to the table is worthy of note.This band deserves your attention.As long as the war on Christianity is in hands as capable as these, the fight is in good hands indeed.
- ODIN
