It’s hard to live in a society drowning in religion, and with an incoming regime in this country that will be pushing the ways of Christofascism with their Christ part merely a way for them to neglect guilt, it’s nearly impossible not to react against that. So, it makes all the sense in the word to embrace even more satanic ideals, even if only to raise the flames of rebellion.
French death metal blasphemers Infernalivm go full bore into the most hellish instinct of their chosen art on their destructive debut EP “Conquering the Most High,” a title that should not be terribly confusing when considering its intent. The band—vocalist/guitarist Melek Dlth Aton (also of Novae Militiae), bassist Daethorn (Merrimack, Ritualization), drummer Kevin Paradis (Benighted, Svart Crown)—spends little time aggravating fires and layering ash to ensure chaos reigns and that the darkest forces consume everything that claims to be just but is actually behind a hideous mask.
The title track opens in the mouth of hell, growls menacing as the playing works to warp any sense you have left. The playing is vicious and sooty, everything spinning out of control and tightening grip, the growls curdling blood as the menace continues to thicken. The guitars fire up as the drums lay waste, ending in grisly, bloodthirsty force. “Temple of a Destroying Sun” is nasty, crushing wills along the way, a mesmerizing heat spreading and playing tricks with your mental health. The howls torch as the playing goes even harder, decimating and thrashing, pulling you into the deepest, darkest waters. Throaty growls waylay as the playing slows but burns even brighter, leaving singed flesh and stinking ash behind.
“Ashes of the Saints” opens in a blinding fury, the raw growls sinking in their teeth, the beastly atmosphere growing more hostile by the second. The temp then decimates, growls burying anything still breathing deep into the soil, the energy eventually slowing but losing none of its intensity as the final notes fade into dirt. Closer “The Maze of Havoc” opens with guitars heating up, the playing stirring as the heat increases dangerously, every side adding new bruises and wounds to your already suffering body. A tornadic melody sits in a hornet’s nest of fury, the howls battering as riffs char and chug, vicious intentions making themselves known. The guitars spill over into a glorious fire, jolts sending shrapnel, the final embers burning off into oblivion.
“Conquering the Most High,” as a title, likely sparks an imagination of destruction, one with very distinct targets with which to cleanse with its unforgiving fires. Infernalivm likely feel what a lot of us are feeling as we see the world captured in the clutches of religion yet again, and once again a misguided, perverted version of it, so why not answer with infernal chaos? We’ll need more of this stuff around as we deal with reality and find a way to cope with actual global evil that disguises itself in piousness.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/infernalivm
To buy the album, go here: https://sentientruin.com/releases/infernalivm-conquering-the-most-high
For more on the label, go here: https://sentientruin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 