Inferis - Obscure Rituals of Death and Destruction

INFERIS - Obscure Rituals of Death and Destruction (OLD TEMPLE - CD 2013)

Santiago, Chile’s Inferis attacks fiercely with their second full length album, which – just as the previous material “In the Path of Malignant Spirits” – has been unleashed upon the mankind by the Polish Old Temple Records. Well, I must sincerely say that I remember “In the Path of Malignant Spirits” to be a very decent album, one which surely was a nice addition to the collection, but also I must say that for some unknown reasons I haven’t really listened to it again ever since I’ve finished reviewing it. Now it gathers dust and mould, but this is something what happens quite often with albums I get – the music is good and solid, but not remarkably impressive, so it takes a longer time, before I find time and will to come back to such albums. “In the Path of Malignant Spirits” was good, but not remarkable, so some of you may ask whether we need yet another such band at all? Sure we do, why not? And I certainly wish the band that “Obscure Rituals of Death and Destruction” won’t be destined to perish and rot so quickly, but at the moment, when I’m after about a dozen of spins of this album my reaction to it is exactly the same as to the previous album: the music is good and solid, for sure I can listen to it from time to time, but I cannot see Inferis joining the legions of my favourite death metal bands. Not quite yet at least…

I must say that I really like some Chilean bands and always look for some killer death metal tunes from this country. But what bands like Diabolical Messiah, Demonic Rage and Unaussprechlichen Kulten offer is still unmatched and bands like Inferis are one step behind. Anyway, please don’t think of “Obscure Rituals of Death and Destruction” to be useless and utterly forgettable album. It actually is very decent piece of brutal, extreme and malevolent death metal. I think that Inferis did evolve slightly from the previous album and now their music is even faster, more brutal and definitely more technical. The whole material is filled with some technical riffs and quite complex, almost chaotic structures… the whole music is dense and thick as the deepest pits of hell. It sounds almost like a cannonade of relentless, brutal riffs; like a wall of sound, which has only one aim: to crush you mercilessly; and the tempo hardly ever slows down, being fast almost in every song. My point of references would be bands like Abhorrence (Brazil), Rebaelliun, Angel Corpse, Diabolic, Vital Remains and such similarly killer acts.

Such description would usually raise my attention immediately and for sure Inferis did a good job here, but something what should be Inferis’ biggest advantage and greatest weapon is also their biggest weakness. The whole “Obscure Rituals of Death and Destruction” sounds slightly monotonous after a while and only very few moments stand above the rest of the material, being more memorable, while the rest just disappears within the maelstrom of riffs and fast drumming. There are obviously many great and lethal riffs / songs here; the opening song “Skull and Bones to the Altar” is just a bulldozer; really great track. Also the final track “In the Path of Malignant Spirits” stands above the rest, not only for being the longest, but also for having most of the very few slower parts of the whole album… especially the final part of it stand out in my opinion, for being surprisingly epic. These are just a couple of examples, but I can assure you that Inferis has a lot more to offer. You must listen to it carefully to pick up these several outstanding riffs, some great ideas. If not listened thoroughly, the album may seem to be too one dimensional and I also think that sometimes the whole material may be slightly monotonous, but anyway, I still think it is also more than just a solid experience. And it gives some good perspectives for the future… As for now Inferis is not my top favourite death squad, but if they keep doing such a good job then they’ll certainly join the unholy trinity of Diabolical Messiah, Demonic Rage and Unaussprechlichen Kulten for the best Chilean death metal bands. Fingers crossed!

Standout tracks: “Skull and Bones to the Altar”, “In the Path of Malignant Spirits”, “Nexion with the Infernal Spirits”

Final rate: 70/100