Inferi is back in action.
Five years have passed since their last album, but the band led by Stevie Boiser (vocals, Equipoise, ex-Ashen Horde, ex-Vale of Pnath), Malcolm Pugh (guitar/bass/vocals/orchestrations, ex-Demon King, ex-Entheos), Sanjay Kumar (guitar/orchestrations, Equipoise, Wormhole), and Spencer Moore (drums, Arkaik) is back with its seventh album, Heaven Wept, on Artisan Era.
The album kicks off at full speed with The Rapture of Dead Light, a devastating opening track that brilliantly blends furious energy, technical prowess, and more melodic elements beneath the vocals of a Stevie in top form, alternating between monstrous growls and demonic screams, adapting to the surging waves of sound—sometimes backed by his sidekick Malcolm. Also worth noting are the meticulously crafted leads that appear from time to time, and then the band follows up with the unsettling Feed Me Your Fear, which combines a heavy atmosphere with massive yet shifting rhythms, not hesitating to opt for a more dissonant or explosive touch that remains firmly rooted in its violent origins, as on this final mosh part. Master of Nothing takes over and propels us at full speed into its haunting harmonics, which often take center stage, though they also know when to yield the spotlight to the vocalist while the rhythm section gets the machine rolling again; then Eternally Lie in turn tosses us about among its riffs, each more ferocious than the last, without sparing us for a single moment—except during the mysterious break. The violence takes over again before knocking us out on Heaven Wept, the eponymous track that hits hard from the very first moments and doesn’t hesitate to rely on orchestrations to amplify its power, pinning us ever deeper to the ground with disconcerting ease. Here too, the leads are impressive, drawing on ever-greater resources before the Deathcore roots resurface, followed by the new wave of majestic fury called Atonement Denied, accelerating effortlessly to sweep us along with it, also weaving between double kick, razor-sharp riffs, and overpowering screams. The breakneck pace will wear down even the most stubborn, and every head will be banging for the finale; then, with Of Rotted Wombs, the musicians pretend to offer us a respite, only to follow a second of keyboards with their tornado of riffs and unprecedented mastery that will once again snap our necks, leaving us speechless. The track, however, passes by fairly quickly, giving way to Godless Sky, which treats us to a moment of suspended tension before igniting in turn, continuing in the same vein as its predecessors without missing a beat, blending all the expertise of its creators to craft a masterpiece of contrast leading up to a grand final.
Inferi’s compositions are as devastating as ever, whether on album or live! Some of Heaven Wept’s tracks have already proven themselves in concert, and the band continues its rise to our great delight!
95/100
