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Infestus

Ex | Ist

Written by: PP on 14/07/2011 15:25:25

Black metallers Infestus had been reduced to just one member prior to the writing and release of their third album "Ex | Ist", but the result is - perhaps exactly because of that reason - breathtaking. Atmospheric black metal with plenty of blackened melody doesn't come much better than on songs like "Darkness Blazing In The Flame Of Fire", a title which embodies everything this album is about in its title and sound. Seven tracks worth of pitch black, but melodic black metal that concentrates solely and explicitly on vast ambient soundscapes that resonate the hidden beauty of pure darkness throughout.

"Ex | Ist" shares a lot in common with doom metal albums given its repressive and elaborate take on brooding, saddened music. That alone makes "Ex | Ist" an unconventional black metal album, but also because of the specific focus on writing progressive and climaxing riffs instead of just relying on extended tremolo guitars from start to finish. It does mean, however, that the songs drag well beyond the eight minute mark, but with patience it's easy to appreciate the beautiful layering and carefully thought-out progression within. Sometimes the sound will take you on a journey through acoustic landscapes and soft melodies, only to break into cyclic metal riffing that adds the required heavyness and brutality to the mix. But what really makes "Ex | Ist" such an excellent black metal album is it's great balance of both. It is soft and somber when it needs to be, but isn't afraid to pummel the listener down with near death metallish brutality in the right moments.

Perhaps even better, the whole album embodies pitch black darkness so well that it's difficult not to feel a little paniced and frightened. It's like staring directly into a black hole that's sucking everything inside of it with overwhelming force and power without letting even a particle of light escape. Everything about the expression feels genuinely dark and black all around in ways that make it difficult to describe on paper. So pop on "Darkness Blazing In The Flame Of Fire" with some good headphones, and let never-ending darkness surround you from all sides.

Download: Darkness Blazing In The Flame Of Fire
For the fans of: Thorngoth, Skogen, Burzum, Leviathan
Listen: Official Website

Release date 16.05.2011
Debemur Morti Productions