ALBUM REVIEW: The End Of An Era | Rebirth – Inferi
Seemingly out of nowhere, Nashville’s INFERI have become one of the most revered names in technical death metal. Since the release of 2014’s The Path Of Apotheosis, the troupe, led b y visionary guitarist Malcolm Pugh, have enjoyed a cult following – culminating in rave reviews and the band finally hitting the road in support of their newest album, Revenant, last year. But The Path Of Apotheosis wasn’t INFERI‘s debut release – not by a long-shot. The band originally formed in 2006, releasing Divinity In War just a year later. In 2009, they released The End Of An Era, signalling that the band had found their sound and promising wonderful things. However, INFERI went on an extended hiatus shortly after, not returning until their 2014 comeback. The End Of An Era, while showcasing a band finally in tune with their voice, suffered from poor production and weak execution – but now, a full decade on from the original release, Pugh and co have re-recorded the opus with the brand new lineup, giving the album the production it deserves. But how does The End Of An Era | Rebirth stack up to the original recording?
The running order of Rebirth is the exact same as the original, and so, like the initial release of The End Of An Era, INFERI kick things off with the epic intro track The Ruin Of Mankind, before diving into album highlight Gatherings In The Chamber Of Madness. One of Rebirth‘s shorter tracks, falling just short of five minutes, here INFERI show just how strong the new line-up is. Pugh and co-axe-man Mike Low trade off riffs and melodies masterfully. This is the first taste of the most notable change to the lineup – the vocals. INFERI‘s current resident megaphone, Steve Boiser (EQUIPOISE, ASHEN HORDE, ex-VALE OF PNATH), has a much raspier, more blackened tone to his screams, where original vocalist Josh Harrell had a more rounded, death metal sound. Boiser hold his own, though, and neither vocalist is stronger than the other – it comes down to personal preference. The quintet blast through Gatherings In The Chamber Of Madness with a wonderful, audible bass, unrelenting drum work and big, technical-yet-hook-filled riff work before crashing into The Endless Siege. The Endless Siege maintains the tempo and intensity, rolling forward and breakneck pace while dropping ear-worm riffs and leads left, right and centre. The solo work here is, as always from Pugh and Low, exemplary.
From here, things only get stronger with the three-way highlight of A New Breed Of Saviour, Sentenced To Eternal Life and The War Machine Embodiment. Starting with a tranquil acoustic passage, A New Breed Of Saviour takes a devastating turn as the full band come out to play. Cutting through the six-minute run time like it’s nothing, INFERI drive home the staples of their sound: mind-bending technicality, unforgettable hooks and crushing heaviness. Sentenced To Eternal Life throws in a few thrash-inspired flourishes for good measure, with another healthy dose of blinding solo work. Meanwhile, The War Machine Embodiment is arguably one of the strongest songs in INFERI‘s discography – and the fresh recording only serves to make it even better. The epic, knocking-on-nine-minute instrumental, The Warrior’s Infinite Opus, brings the midsection to a close in dazzling form, setting the listener up for the grand finale.
The Warrior’s Infinite Opus leads nicely into Rebirth‘s lead single, Quest For The Trinity, where things take a less frantic, groovier turn – at least, to start with. It doesn’t take long before INFERI drive into the chaos they do best, dropping hooks aplenty along the way. Penultimate song and single Forged In The Phlegethon is a clear standout moment on the record, featuring the drummer on the original recording of The End Of An Era, Eric Brown (NEKROGOBLIN, VALE OF PNATH) as a guest vocalist. Brown‘s devastating gutturals juxtapose Boiser‘s blackened shrieks perfectly, and make this one of the most memorable songs on Rebirth. INFERI close things up with Cursed Unholy. Bookending the ferocity of the grand finale with stunning, piano-led orchestration, INFERI sure know how to end things on a high.
More often than not, re-recordings, reissues and remasters are unnecessary, falling somewhere between unneeded attempts to stay relevant in a constantly progressing, saturated genre, and, at worst, callous cash-grabs relying on the nostalgia factor of certain releases. The End Of An Era | Rebirth does not fall onto this spectrum. INFERI‘s sophomore album was a promising offering with excellent song-writing, but was marred by lacklustre production and patchy execution. With Rebirth, we finally here The End Of An Era as it was meant to be heard – performed flawlessly, with a warm, wonderful production. Rebirth is an absolute necessity for fans of INFERI, and serves as a wonderful jumping off point to dig into The Path Of Apotheosis and Revenant.
Rating: 8/10
The End Of An Era | Rebirth is out now via The Artisan Era.
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