INFERION: "The Desolate"

[ 2 / 5 ] In the current flood of a myriad of black metal bands that differ little from each other, you are bound to come up with some specialities that make people turn their heads toward you and give a chance to the music. In Inferion's case, it was the fact the second full-length The Desolate this was partially recorded in Iraq while the band's frontman served in the army – otherwise, I doubt I would have been enough interested by another US black metal project that utilizes this clean and blatant drum programming. I tend to think that drum machines might fit into slower styles of music, but when it comes to rapidly fired black metal, it is easy go astray. Although the term 'bedroom' might not apply literally to The Desolate, considering the surroundings in which this was conceived in part, this sure does sound like it. There's plenty of power in the constant stream of tremolo through which these twirling melodies – usually hateful but bordering on melancholy every now and then – are delivered, but the cheapness in production kind of ruins it. While a band like Hate Forest sounds only charming in these productional conditions, the music itself on The Desolate yearns for a more full sound, and a full line-up. Bring on the remedies for this and the somewhat unrememberable riffage and you've got a lot better album already, because otherwise the ingredients do work nicely: masculine growling and screaming of a wide range, and lots of general energy and ferocity.