Search - Infernaeon :: Symphony of Suffering

Great start for a promising new band

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 03/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Infernaeon are an extremely rare find in heavy music nowadays. This Florida-based collective more-or-less pick up where the hugely influential Nocturnus left off in that they combine old-school American death metal with symphonic black metal that is usually saved for European bands. But whereas many groups (i.e. Vital Remains) heavily favor one end of the spectrum over the other, Infernaeon are able to find a near-perfect equilibrium between the two very different genres, and are able to play both equally as well, thus making them one of the world's few genuine blackened death metal bands.



"A Symphony of Suffering," is definitely first and foremost a very heavy, very punishing, and often quite brutal album. And Infernaeon might not be a match for, say, Vital Remains or Behemoth, but that doesn't mean they aren't friggin' awesome musicians! (And with two former members of Monstrosity, that should come as no surprise.) The guitarists are especially of note; they seamlessly go from catchy riffs to mid-tempo, mosh pit-ready sections, to shredding leads to careening (yet still ripping) solos and back again with almost virtuosic dexterity. And boy, do they sure know their way around a great riff! You'll find tons of extremely tasty, crunchy riffs, simple, neck-snapping riffs, and uber-chunky, bludgeoning riffs throughout this disc. Meanwhile, the drummer works overtime at pounding away at his trapkit, and hammers out one pummeling, rapid-fire death metal blast after another. Also of note is the bassist, who completes the rhythm section, and makes it impeccably tight with strong fills. Finally, frontman Brian Werner, is quite an awesome young throat; he tops it all of with an impressive, full-bodied vocal style that's heavy on long, wicked, pipe-stretching, skin-crawling shrieks that evoke pure black metal.



But how, you ask, does this band stand out amongst the crowd? The answer to that is simple: keyboards. They are an undeniably integral part of this Floridian sextet's sound, and are every bit as any other instrument, and actually often even compete against the guitars for the spotlight (and do a really good job at it, too, I might add) . As a result, the songs have a lot more atmosphere, nuance, texture, diversity, depth, and mystery than almost all standard death metal fare. On the whole, "A Symphony of Suffering" is most comparable to a mix of the aforementioned Nocturnus, Morbid Angel, Nile, "Blizzard Beasts"-era Immortal, Zyklon, Cradle of Filth, and Slayer. It also has ties to Goatwhore and Hate Eternal (whose member, Erik Rutan, did an excellent job at producing the disc.)



"Embodiment of Sin" is a strong, propulsive opener, and also one the catchiest tracks this reviewer has heard in black/death metal for quite some time. It locks into a headbangable groove with a seemingly endless cascade of rhythmic, chunked-up, machine gun riffing, a foundation-shaking rhythm, and cracking drums. A few (if not many) sythns are also slipped into the mix to help the arrangements breathe some. "Sleeping God" is a thunderous follow-up, and just might be the record's biggest highlight. It boasts furious riffage, gobs of symphonic keybs (giving the song a progressive feal), spots of winding guitar solos, and a soon-to-be-legendary shriek from Brian that lasts upwards of forty-friggin'-seconds (and is pulled off allegedly without any studio enhancement)!



The last three songs form a trilogy of sorts, and compose a concept album of sorts. The tale is about an Oracle who can see into the future and sees the world going to war. To make a long story short, in the end, the living world is wiped out as a result of this. The first of the three songs, the aptly titled "The Oracle of Armageddon" features Goatwhore frontman Ben Falgoust guesting on vocals, and also features a wealth of smoke-inducing buzzsaw fretwork and jackhammering skins. Next up, "March of Death" is bolstered by guitar licks that are uber fat and juicy, and are about as crunchy as you will ever hear. The synths are an afterthought in this song, but they do loom in the background to add some atmospheric ear-candy to the mix. Finally, "AIDS" (which stands for Annihilating the Inner Decay of Species) is an intense closer, and features some of the album's most technical guitar work above a subtle, but still very audible keyboard line.



My only complaints? The songs on "A Symphony of Suffering" do hold up remarkably well after repeat listens, but they don't really grow on you or reveal something new each time you hear them. They're still plenty meticulous and well-thought-out, but it's very much up for debate if they will stand the ultimate test of time or not. Regardless, there should be little debate that these songs barely challenge the listener at all. Plus, "ASOS" is only five songs and thirty-one minutes deep (the first track, "Shades of Obscurity," is just a creepy little intro piece which doesn't even cross the two-minute mark.) Yes, there is ample meat on these five songs' bones, but the band definitely could benefit from including two or three more tunes next time around.



Nonetheless, "A Symphony of Suffering" is an excellent debut, and a fairly interesting, unique, meticulous, and all-around very fine and promising effort from Infernaeon. This is a clearly a band on its way up, and one that already ranks among the upper-tier in new millennium black and death metal acts. It should now only be a matter of time before they officially break out of the underground and garner a large cult following."