DVD REVIEW: Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX – SepticFlesh
Releasing a live DVD for the first time is an important milestone in any band’s career. It signifies the band have reached a level where their live performance is something in great demand, and their ability to bring something special to the stage worthy of filming. The debut DVD from Athenian symphonic death metallers SEPTICFLESH immediately proves to be something very special indeed. For Inferus Sinfonica MMXIX the Greek quartet take to the stage of the Metropolitan Theatre in Mexico City in their biggest ever headline show, accompanied by over 100 musicians from the Symphonic Experience Orchestra, the Enharmonía Vocalis Choir and the National University of Mexico Children’s and Youth Choir. But is Infernus Sinfonica just another gimmick performance, or does it truly deliver a career topping experience for the band?
The beauty of the Metropolitan Theatre makes itself immediately known, the stage flanked with columns and classical marble statues that really fit perfectly for SEPTICFLESH. Indeed, its hard to imagine a better venue for this special performance, outside of the Parthenon itself. But they beauty of the setting is quickly forgotten as the band launch into their set, the full weight of well over 100 musicians unleashing Codex Omega‘s video single, Portrait of a Headless Man, upon a Mexican crowd not even remotely prepared for the grandeur they are about to witness. The Symphonic Experience Orchestra immediately do a perfect job here, their accompaniment lifting SEPTICFLESH to a new height, but at no point to they overshadow the band – and nor should they.
The later we get in SEPTICFLESH‘s discography, the stronger the symphonic elements – both in terms of overall presence and the quality of the composition – and this really translates across Infernus Sinfonica. With the exception of a few choice long-time favourites – more on them later – the cuts from Codex Omega really outshine much of the rest of the set list, the orchestra working in perfect harmony with the band. But that’s not to say the older tracks don’t pop. Prototype, The Pyramid God and Communion all hit hard early on in the set, while Lovecraft’s Death, coming later, offers a harsher blast amid the orchestra-heavy second half.
But there are certain moments here where SEPTICFLESH surpass greatness and move into something more ethereal. The one-two of The Vampire of Nazareth and Dogma of Prometheus is truly something special to behold, the former being the best the classic track has ever sounded, while the latter sees vocalist Seth perform impeccably. Meanwhile, towards the end of Infernus Sinfonica, the band are keen to not ease up on the pressure, instead doubling down on their intensity and closing the show on the highest of highs. Persepolis and A Great Mass of Death see the orchestration at its absolute best across the DVD, again showcasing a perfect harmony between the extreme metallers and the classical musicians.
But its penultimate moment Anubis that really stands as a highlight across the entire DVD. The 3000-strong Mexican crowd join the choir in singing the melody in an almost IRON MAIDEN-esque moment of brilliance, while the revamped orchestration improves the song leagues ahead of its initial recording. The band close off Infernus Sinfonica with a punishing blast from Codex Omega, Dark Arts bringing the symphony to its crescendo and the show to an earth shattering climax.
In tackling the quality of SEPTICFLESH‘s performance across Infernus Sinfonica, there’s only two real issues – neither of which really do anything to detract from the experience of the show, and are more nit-picking. First of all, for a show filmed for a DVD there isn’t a huge variety on the visual front from the stage. In terms of the camera work, everything is solid, seamlessly switching between rapid cuts and slow, panning shots to show the scale of the gig – but outside of a bit of light work there isn’t much going on around the band. This would have been an absolutely perfect opportunity to bust out some pyrotechnics or a unique stage design, but sadly these visual aspects are lacking. The second concern is how, after a show this colossal, SEPTICFLESH can outperform themselves. This is the best the band have ever sounded live, but will returning to backing tracked orchestration stunt the band’s show now they’ve experienced a full symphony backing them? Only time will tell.
SEPTICFLESH have almost released a double-edged sword with Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX. Logistically speaking, touring of any sort with a production this big is going to be impossible – but after witnessing the Greeks backed by a full orchestra and two separate choirs seeing them going back to a “normal” live performance risks being an underwhelming affair. But that is a problem for the future. As a more immediate concern, Infernus Sinfonica is a masterclass of symphonic extreme metal in a live environment, and a golden achievement in every sense for the Athenians – to suggest anything less would be nothing short of blasphemous.
Rating: 9/10
Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX is out now via Season of Mist.
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