In the Harry Potter universe, Inferi are corpses reanimated to guard the remainder of someone else's soul. That's kind of how Revenant feels — a turgid, lifeless slog that (at best) hides what could be a great band. Inferi sit in the uncanny valley of metal, with genuinely good ideas smothered under enough processing to leech them of any emotion they might have.
The fact that almost every track starts with an overlong "epic" intro kills any sense of momentum outright. The vocals and symphonic elements owe a debt to Cradle of Filth, while the guitar flourishes on "A Beckoning Thrall" might turn the crank of hardcore tech-death fans. But these parts struggle to find space, drowned out by blast-beat drumming so monotonous you might mistake it being one long copy-paste. The drums even overshadow the grandiose moments on "Thy Menacing Gaze," a song that frustratingly fades out just as its best riff is starting to kick in.
The wave of symphonic extreme bands that followed Dimmu Borgir's breakthrough have, for the most part, fallen to the wayside. Inferi have stuck it out for a full decade, and good on them for that. Now if they could only inject a spark of individuality, they would be set.
Cool album art though.
(Artisan Era)The fact that almost every track starts with an overlong "epic" intro kills any sense of momentum outright. The vocals and symphonic elements owe a debt to Cradle of Filth, while the guitar flourishes on "A Beckoning Thrall" might turn the crank of hardcore tech-death fans. But these parts struggle to find space, drowned out by blast-beat drumming so monotonous you might mistake it being one long copy-paste. The drums even overshadow the grandiose moments on "Thy Menacing Gaze," a song that frustratingly fades out just as its best riff is starting to kick in.
The wave of symphonic extreme bands that followed Dimmu Borgir's breakthrough have, for the most part, fallen to the wayside. Inferi have stuck it out for a full decade, and good on them for that. Now if they could only inject a spark of individuality, they would be set.
Cool album art though.