When you've taken a “break” from reviewing albums, this is the kind of music that you are happy to have waiting for you. Dark and twisted black metal, the kind that gets your blood pumping one moment, then throws you curveballs in the mix. Well placed electronic segues, musical shifts leading into mid-pace battery and even acoustic moments briefly sprinkled in. Ladies and Gents, meet Infera Bruo.
Opening Desolate Unknown with the ball ripper that is ‘Visions of the Inner Eye’, Infera Bruo waste no time getting to know you or trying to be friends. While the title may seem like a serene idea, apparently these boys see some dark shit with their third eye. And thank fuck they do. Tremolo picking abound and shit-smattering drumming aplenty, this song is a great example of an album opener. The vocals are a step above as well, even throwing in the entirely appropriate and well done clean set for a moment. Not to be backed in a corner, proceeding track ‘Oblivion’ mixes tempos up and even has a slight step on the brakes smack dab in the middle. No worries, mother fuckers still know how to keep the fire burning; they just had to grab a log to throw on the fire.
‘Ritual Within’ follows the ever brief, but absolutely necessary, short and disorientating ‘Segue I’. On ‘Ritual…’ the band is musically all over the map. At a length of just over thirteen minutes, there is plenty of time for them to start being overindulgent. They don’t however; they have a great penance for not meandering and make every moment crucial. The acoustic intro that leads into a slow section of depressive strumming is crucial for the journey they've created. This song has peaks and valleys, you know, actual songwriting (gasps!). What really caught me was 1) the use of electronics in a subtle way aside from when the vocal samples are used and 2) the clean vocals that mix so well with the screamed ones. It’s not good cop/bad cop at all, it’s used in a way that makes the song pack that much more power and emotion.
‘Dust of Star’ is another fairly long song, but again, it doesn't feel like it. Over the course of this album Infera Bruo show that they aren't a one trick pony at all, and this song shows them swinging from solid blasting/tremolo picking to galloping rhythms all the way over to dark electronics adding a slight tripped out feel. Closing out we have ‘Segue II’ & ‘Invoking Collapse’. ‘Segue II’ ups the creepy scale with a distorted voice of a child and an ominous bass sound behind it. It preps you for the all out evil that is ‘Invoking Collapse’. The song itself is great, has the same ebb and flow as the rest of the album. But what it feels like to me is the band taking everything they have done, and really playing like their live depend on it. This track just has an (I hate using this word, a lot) epic feel to it. It’s all or nothing from the top of a black mountain, spewing out viciousness.
I’m sold on this album, no doubt about it. I listened to it casually a few times before I sat down to REALLY give it a good listen and I’m glad I did. I usually step away from albums after reviewing them and then come back to them in a few days/weeks, but this album has earned a spot in my “daily listen” playlist.
You can grab Desolate Unknown on Infera Bruo’s Bandcamp page, either by download or on CD. They also have a nice CD/t-shirt combo deal. I can’t urge any fan of black metal or dark metal enough to go out and get this one. Payday’s coming up and I’m doing the same.
Support bands and artists you enjoy, go to a show or buy some fucking merch.
HAIL!!!
