EP REVIEW: Agents of Satan – The Infernal Sea

THE INFERNAL SEA have been making waves in the British black metal scene for half a decade at this point but their star has truly been on the ascent after 2015’s The Great Mortality. After storming live sets across the country and no doubt eager to prove they have much more to offer in terms of material the band have released a two song 7’ inch entitled Agents of Satan.

The opener and title track is the shorter of the two tracks and begins with a short spoken introduction declaring “you all are at risk” before THE INFERNAL SEA‘s trademark hardcore influenced black metal kicks in with a riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on any NYHC recording with different production. Luckily for purists the band doesn’t embrace this similarity for two long and instead settles into intense high energy rifting throughout the remainder of the track’s length. Catchy, angry and well executed. The second track on the record is a rerecording from the band’s early days. Entitled Skinwalker it has less of the hardcore influences its predecessor wears on its ritual robe wearing sleeve, instead sticking more to familiar paths, aside from a crushing breakdown in the later part of the song, and the roared vocals declaring the tracks title.

While short, coming in at under 10 minutes, Agents of Satan serves as a brilliant introduction for people to THE INFERNAL SEA and what their particular brand of black metal is all about. Aggressive, to the point and with enough hooks to stick in your ear for days afterwards it walks a difficult path in managing to retain all of the elements that make traditional black metal great while taking influence from outside the genre. The only real complaint that can be made against it, is that it is not a full length album.

Rating: 7/10

Agents of Satan is out now via Apocalyptic Witchcraft Records.

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