INFESTUS – ENTZWEIUNG

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Apr 252024
 

(Andy Synn dives into the darkness of the new album from Infestus, out now)

I like Black Metal. I’m pretty sure everyone around here knows that by now. But what kind of Black Metal I want to hear varies with my mood.

Sometimes I want it raw and nasty. Other times I want it dripping with orchestral excess. Heck, there’s even times when I want it so proggy and unorthodox that it barely even sounds like Black Metal at all.

But right here, right now, I want it dark, I want it moody, and I want it so sharp that you’re in danger of losing a finger every time you push “play”.

So it’s a good thing a new Infestus album dropped last week.

Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: INFESTUS — “FUGA NOCTURNA”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 042024
 

Our site has had a long history with the German black metal band Infestus. Unlike some musical histories marred by mishaps and mediocrity, this one is fondly remembered, because although the music encompassed by the succession of Infestus releases (which is about to be six albums long) has never been entirely predictable, it has never been disappointing.

The history now continues with the newest Infestus album, Entzweiung, which is set for release by the band’s new label Talheim Records on April 19th. We’ll have more to say about the album as a whole in due course, but today our focus is on the song “Fuga Nocturna“. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): INFESTUS — “THRYPSIS”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  3 Responses »
Oct 052018
 

 

(On October 5th, Debemur Morti Productions will release the new album by the German band Infestus. Here, we present the premiere of a full album stream, preceded by Andy Synn‘s review.)

Read about, or write about, Metal for any appreciable length of time and you’ll probably notice that we talk about evolution a lot.

In particular, we frequently refer to (and argue about) the ways in which bands evolve, or choose not to evolve, over time, and the lengths they’re willing to go to in order to develop, refine, or maintain their sound.

Some bands, of course, are like sharks – musical predators perfectly suited to their environment, with no need (or desire) to change what they do or how they do it – while others are more mutable in nature, and don’t just embrace change, but actively pursue it.

Infestus are one such band. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: INFESTUS — “SEED OF AGONY”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Sep 262018
 

 

About one month ago we had the pleasure of premiering a stunning track named “Thron aus Trümmern” from the powerful new album by the German band Infestus, and now we get to bring you a second song from Thrypsis in advance of its October 5 release by Debemur Morti Productions.

As was true of “Thron aus Trümmern”, “Seed of Agony” ebbs and flows. It becomes thunderous and also fragile in its sound and mood. It dives to depths of unconsolable desolation and rises to heights of terrible, soul-splintering magnificence. But all of these evolving transformations resonate as shades and phases of emotional pain, with the most wrenching expressions of agony channeled through the truly shattering vocals of this album’s sole creator, Andras. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: INFESTUS — “THRON AUS TRÜMMERN”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Aug 232018
 

 

Infestus may have reached the point when it is no longer fair to characterize the music as black metal, because as diverse as that genre of music has become, the term connotes limits that no longer seem applicable to this German band’s extravagantly multi-faceted new album, Thrypsis. Even Debemur Morti Productions, who will be releasing the album on October 5th, now refers to the music as Dark Metal — which is the amorphous banner we tend to hoist over music that we can’t easily (or accurately) categorize with more familiar metal labels, no matter how many hyphens they might include.

The further progression of ideas reflected in the music of Thrypsis will not come as a shock to those who experienced the stunning tapestry of desolation, malevolence, and bleak beauty rendered in the last Infestus album, 2014’s The Reflecting Void, yet it’s abundantly evident that Infestus has climbed to dizzying new heights on this new record. The song we’re helping to premiere today, “Thron aus Trümmern” is powerful proof all by itself. Continue reading »

ANDY SYNN’S MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS OF 2018

 Listmania  23 Responses »
Jan 132018
 

 

(Here’s a personal list by Andy Synn identifying eagerly anticipated forthcoming 2018 albums.)

 

One week ago Islander published a list of upcoming albums expected to be released over the course of the next twelve months, and also solicited comments and recommendations from our readers concerning which albums (and EPs) they were most looking forward to.

Well, as successful as that endeavour was, now it’s my turn to talk up some of my most anticipated album scheduled for release in 2018. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: SKEPTICISM, CATTLE DECAPITATION, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER, TOMBSTALKER, INFESTUS

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Jul 022015
 

 

I haven’t compiled one of these round-ups in three days, and so of course I’m now awash in news, new music, and new videos that I think are worth your time — too much to stuff into one post. Rather than become paralyzed with indecision about what to foist upon you now and what to save for later, I drew names out of a hat. Here’s what emerged…

SKEPTICISM

Thanks to a tip from Grant Skelton, I saw yesterday’s announcement that Finland’s venerable and venerated Skepticism have a new album named Ordeal set for release by Svart Records on September 18. For me, the band’s performance at this year’s Maryland Deathfest was one of the event’s true high points, so I could hardly be more thrilled about this news — especially since seven long years have passed since the band’s last full-length.

And to add even more intrigue, the band recorded the new album live before an audience on January 24th at Klubi in Turku, Finland, and captured the performance on film. Continue reading »

OUR LIST OF 2014’S MOST INFECTIOUS EXTREME METAL SONGS: PART 8

 MOST INFECTIOUS SONGS-2014  8 Responses »
Dec 312014
 

 

Here we have Part 8 of our continuing list of 2014′s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs. For more details about what this list is all about and how it was compiled, read the introductory post via this link. For the other songs we’ve previously named to the list, go here.

Since this is the last day of the year, it seems like a good time to take stock of our progress on this list. Only problem is, I have no fuckin’ idea where we are. After today I’ll have rolled out 17 songs, but I don’t know whether we’re halfway through or a third of the way or only a quarter deep. So let’s just keep going, shall we?

INFESTUS

In a word, the latest album by Germany’s Infestus — The Reflecting Void — was (and is) stunning. Andy Synn concluded his review of the album with these words:

““The beautiful, unforgettable cover art embodies the album so well – this is music from the darkest depths of the human mind, a black, malignant tumour of pain and anguish which spreads its tendrils widely to encompass a host of dark emotions and warped musical influences, creating a truly immersive, unforgettable experience.” Continue reading »

INFESTUS: “THE REFLECTING VOID” (A FULL ALBUM STREAM)

 Premieres  13 Responses »
Apr 252014
 

Earlier this month Andy Synn reviewed the stunning new album by Germany’s Infestus for us (here). In his concluding paragraph, he wrote:

“The beautiful, unforgettable cover art embodies the album so well – this is music from the darkest depths of the human mind, a black, malignant tumour of pain and anguish which spreads its tendrils widely to encompass a host of dark emotions and warped musical influences, creating a truly immersive, unforgettable experience.”

Today we’re pleased to bring you a full album stream of The Reflecting Void, which has just become available via Debemur Morti for both listening and download on Bandcamp. In addition, the album can also now be ordered on CD at this location or on 12″ gatefold vinyl at this one. Continue reading »

THREE KINGS: ENTHRONED, INFESTUS, HORIZON ABLAZE (AND AN NCS PREMIERE)

 Album Reviews, Premieres  8 Responses »
Apr 072014
 

(In one fell swoop, Andy Synn reviews three superb new albums — by Enthroned, Infestus, and Horizon Ablaze — and we bring you the streaming premiere of a song from Horizon Ablaze.)

It may only be early April but 2014 has already produced numerous candidates for my own personal End of Year list/s. And it looks like it’s going to be a very bleak, blackened year indeed.

So, to highlight the wealth of majestic misanthropy that has already appeared this year, I’ve selected three examples of Black Metal at its finest, three albums that richly deserve to be feared and worshipped in their own right, three artists who may yet lay claim to the crooked crown.

Each one has its own allure, its own character, from the uncompromising, to the unknowable, to the unorthodox. Each one has its own voice and style, from the demonic, to the despairing, to the deranged. Yet each one is united by an undercurrent of remorseless passion and refusal to follow the path of others. Each one a visceral, violent, dissonantly melodic and brutally infectious example of blackened musical magick. Continue reading »

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