Band's List Death Metal Infernal Death (PL) Gniew

If you’re one of these people that judge a year’s production level by the release of albums by major bands, then probably Poland didn’t make the cut for you this year. Indeed, Vader, Behemoth, Azarath or Decapitated haven't released a god damn thing this year because well, they almost all did so in 2011. On the other hand, if you’re always on the lookout for promising bands then you’ll recognize 2012 as a true vintage year. Embrional and Hell United may well be just out of reach by now, but here comes Infernal Death as challengers not to be dismissed.

Infernal Death started out in 1991 but life as we know is no ever flowing stream and in 1995, the band eventually split up to be revived some fourteen years later leading to the recording in 2011 of Gniew, initially self-released and then in 2012, released again with a different cover by WM Pyscho. Their first full-length after twenty years!

Was the wait worth it? I’d say yes to some extent. Do not expect a ground breaking record exploring new territories in Death Metal or the next best thing after grated cheese but expect some solid old-school Death Metal done the Polish way. And what does that mean? It means the influence of Vader, again!, is very much perceptible in Gniew (Polish for “anger”). As Vader is not the band of just one record, you may want to think Back to the Blind or even The Ultimate Incantation rather than The Art of War or Litany. And for those not familiar with Vader, if possible, picture early Morbid Angel raping early Slayer and you’ll have a good picture of where Infernal Death is heading. If you don’t know Morbid Angel or Slayer, please stop reading as your soul is doomed to burn in hell forever.

It may be good to let you know that ever since Infernal Death started out as a band, despite the fourteen year long hiatus, they’ve always stick to their native language, Polish. All tracks are sung and written and Polish and they deal with… anger, you knew that, death, hell, and also have anticlerical leanings. I'm glad that for once a band doesn't just bang the Catholic church -- which has become such an easy prey -- but for example with Robactwo Allaha (Allah’s vermin), they dare thread on thin ice and address real and contemporary issues. A welcome change.

Musically speaking, the use of Polish accentuates the brutality of the songs. It’s not some broken English growled without any conviction, it’s the real thing. Incisive riffing, memorable leads, a powerful and distinct production, tracks made to kill between 3 and 4 minutes ideally composed to be played live all make Gniew a really fine album. The alternance of blast-beats and mid tempo parts is finely arranged and the thrashing riffage displayed on tracks like Paragraf 148 (among others) confers added groove and violence.

So why not rate it higher? Probably because if most of it is fantastically played, there is, as previously mentioned, nothing here that you wouldn’t have heard before so it’s not bound to change your life in any way or disrupt the established hierarchy of Death Metal in Poland. If only Infernal Death would have released this some twenty years ago, then they most likely would have had their names inscribed in their country’s Death Metal pantheon but twenty some years later, Gniew just adds another brick to the wall and even though it may well be a damn fine brick, the fundaments have been there almost like forever. Still, don’t think you'd be better off skipping this release because it’s not innovative or what not, it’s still a great record and should be praised as one.