Arborescence of Wrath has united.
Created by the alliance of Jason Keyser (vocals, Origin), Michel Beneventi (guitar, Until the Uprising), JP Battesti (guitar, ex-Monument of Misanthropy), Simon Schilling (drums, Marduk, Eucharist, ex-Belphegor, ex-Panzerchrist) and Charles Collette (bass, ex-The Walking Dead Orchestra, ex-Benighted), the band announced in 2023 the release of Inferno, their debut album, on Transcending Obscurity Records.
The band kicks off with Wrath, an aptly named composition that almost immediately explodes into a full-blown Death Metal mix. While Brutal Death patterns predominate, the band’s riffs are relatively complex and Old School, followed by those of Carnage, which adopts much the same approach while including disturbing dissonant elements to its charge. Blasts and slashing harmonics team up to create a violent basis with thick howls, but the mix also knows how to slow down to let a sample bring ominous sounds before igniting again to lead us to Hangman, where melodies meet wild screams. Heavy and catchy patterns follow one another, making the surge unstoppable before Relentless Infights takes over with its introductive melody, obviously followed by the return of saturation and a radio voice, then that wave of raw strength. Jolting riffs and a heavy atmosphere come together before a more soothing final, closely followed by Holier Than You and its melancholic touches, which are joined by an intense female voice, then crushed by the usual massive rhythm in an apocalyptic atmosphere. As soon as the title track is finished, Cleansing Termination takes over to molest us too, letting drums, riffs and aggressive vocal parts nail us to the floor, notably using lively and devastating Old School patterns to support the crazy harmonics. Temple of Ashes immediately jumps out at us, using a similar approach to the previous track but with more insistent guitar parts to recreate that heady sense of unease, and then the sound becomes almost majestic for Repentance, which doesn’t hesitate to punctuate its continued violence with very short airy flights. The track allows us quite no respite, and it finally gives way to Into Everlasting Fire, a cover of the American band Immolation, whose riffs are perfectly respected to bring this album to a violent close.
Arborescence of Wrath hasn’t lied: they take us into a storm of Death Metal-styled rage with Inferno, blending wild screams, unbridled riffs and devastating blast, while integrating a touch of madness and complexity. A fine first offering!
90/100