Infera Bruo - In Conjuration (2015)

One of the hazards of a band peaking so early in their career is that you'll be blown away by the debut or sophomore and then struggle to find that same connection on subsequent records. Massachusetts' Infera Bruo, who put out a really astonishing s/t debut demo, and then a great full-length followup in Desolate Unknown, largely manage to avoid that pitfall by offering a slab of more matured and consistent sounding material. This is at once a more evil sounding effort in spots, with some spacious and cavernous sequences that contrast against the blasting surge, and a seasoned songwriting exhibition in which a band fully capable of flying off the handle exercise quite a lot of restraint and balance between the interlocking instruments and the pacing of various tracks.

The mid range clean vocals that helped round out the previous album are returned here, with arguably even more personality, even though they're still in the minority; if you're into the similar approach taken by bands like Enslaved, Arcturus and Borknagar, you're going to feel right at home since they so seamlessly switch lanes with the snarl, not feeling forced or intrusive. There's also an increased use of more jangly, interesting guitar passages which interspersed with the metric ton of traditional, melodic tremolo picking that dominates a huge chunk of the material. In Conjuration is replete with peaks and valleys of aggression, often steering away from its black metal busyness for simpler chord patterns that are splayed out and 'felt out' over more spacious percussion. These pace changes are timed well enough across the 47 minutes that it helps a lot to ground some of the longer tunes and give them a real sense of consistency rather than growing ennui that a lot of black metal bands can suffer from due to pretentious bloat. The bass and drums here are also the best mixed yet alongside the guitars, subdued enough to allow the riffs the razor edge they so often crave.

The raw speed and technicality of the rhythm guitars is about the same level as the influences, which for me really seemed to hover in that Norse camp like Immortal or Satyricon in their primes. An emphasis is not on pure catchiness so much as a cutting finesse and lots of interesting detail that the listener can discern with future spins of the disc. Again, I don't know if it's just the pure production capabilities of the underground these days via technology, but Infera Bruo sounds as confident and sophisticated, if not more so than many European bands with 20-25 years behind them. The choices in notation are not always obvious, and steer slightly further away from accessibility than either of the earlier works. Ironically, I came away from this slightly less blown away, but we're talking a mere sliver below Desolate Unknown, and I would still struggle to come up with a New England band in this style that I enjoy more right now; Vattnet Viskar has achieved more popularity, but I'm not a big fan...this is just so much more dynamic, vicious and memorable. Good on Bindrune for picking them up, they are building quite a roster. Can't recommend it enough, and it's all here: the chops, the intensity, the artistry. Attention paid, now paying forward. Check them out.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/InferaBruo

Infera Bruo - Desolate Unknown (2013)

How to follow up what was possibly the best New England black metal demo/album I've heard since some point in the 90s? Carry on, and that is precisely what Boston's Infera Bruo have accomplished upon Desolate Unknown. A proficient paean to both the Norse and Swedish roots of its genre, which compares favorably to the more modern works of its enduring progenitors. Not quite so progressive in nature as what Enslaved, Ihsahn or Arcturus have written in recent years, but more of a balance of the style's primal precision and intensity as translated from late 90s Immortal or Emperor, and then further enriched by the inclusion of cleaner, mid ranged vocals which provide several of the record's catchier phrases. Beyond that, their writing style is such that you never exactly know what's around each corner on the record...will they drop off the blasting to focus on something more scarce and atmospheric? Will they soften the blows where appropriate?

Yes to all of that. Swelling dark ambient/ritualistic 'Segues' are placed at strategic points on the album to break up the duration of its lengthier tracks (9-13 minutes). Not merely noise, they also involve elements like eerie vocal looping or distorted voice samples. Acoustic guitars are brought out briefly, and the band will often just cede the structure and riffing to pure feedback which also ironically helps to smooth out those mammoth songs. But more vital here is the instrumentation. The bass lines often have a rough, distorted thrust to them which generates an excellent balance to the more pinpoint and polished tone of the guitars. Chord progressions, if not unanimously catchy, manage between just the right levels of dissonance and glory, and while they often occupy the same general terrain, few of them sound exactly alike, nor do they ever wear out their welcome through exhausting repetition which could turn a tune like "Ritual Within" or "Invoking Collapse" into a monotonous nightmare if mismanaged. The beats wander everywhere from the rock grooves necessary to fuel the mid paced Bathory rhythms, to the seamless blasts and double bass sequences; always pretty pronounced so that you can make out all the individual toms, snares and crashes, yet not overly loud.

Most of the vocals are dual black rasps which create a pretty effective gravitas against the energy of the drums and guitars, with loads of little flaws and deviations to keep the ears glued, and the cleans which are understated but excellent. If one were to strip out and analyze specific elements, I'm sure they wouldn't find Infera Bruo's material to be the most distinct or unique in the field, but they operate as a 'package deal', where every component of their creative process is well executed. Had Desolate Unknown been released by some second or third tier Norwegian band, they'd probably find themselves on a label like Candlelight or Indie Recordings in no time flat, that is the level of polish here. Along with Spaniards Foscor, these gentlemen seem like natural successors to the early 21st century evolutions of their Scandinavian forebears, a pretty big sandbox to play around in, and one that I am eager to see shaped further.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/InferaBruo

Infera Bruo - Infera Bruo (2011)

I've been completely out of the loop lately with local New England acts in the extreme metal fields, and it's safe to say that the loss has been mine and mine alone. Recently becoming acquainted with such talented Connecticut bands as Autolatry and Morgirion, I've now encountered an outfit from a little closer to home, Infera Bruo (aka 'Hellish Noise' in English) out of Boston, who simply have one of the coolest sounds I've heard from this region in years, especially for an unsigned artist. In all honesty, I receive hundreds of promos each year from the underground that have nowhere near the level of songwriting ability and proof of concept that this trio (now a quartet) exudes, nor the production capabilities...

Granted, I might have a fraction of bias due to the heavy influence they've culled from some of my favorites in the genre. The cleaner vocals certainly remind me of those used by the great Grutle Kjellson, perhaps fuller bodied and more romanticized; and the fluid, progressive nature of the compositions is reminiscent of Enslaved circa Below the Lights. However, there are also some harsher, choppier sequences of dissonant black/thrash riffing not unlike those used by Immortal on their later 90s works. A few streaks of experimentation course through the album, like the warped intro to "The Devil's Eyes", the spacey pseudo-thrash of "Upon Stone" or the drudging, almost post-hardcore influence blended with the scintillating background noise that opens "A Path Unwritten". But the most remarkable elements at play here are the corpulent, warm guitar tone that floods through the strong blasting and ample bass, and the near complete lack of numbing repetition that you'd expect on a recording where three of the four tracks are over nine minutes in length.

The impressive, somnolent vocal arrangements are just icing on the proverbial cake, dour and morbid as they flow into the psychedelic swirls of the bridge in "A Code of Will" or soar over the haunted thrust of the "Upon Stone", but they wouldn't function without the constant nuance of the guitars and rhythm section, and thus the entire album gels so well that it's often difficult to discern where one component begins and the other ends. Unlike a lot of the trendier post-black metal out on the US landscape, like Liturgy or Krallice, Infera Bruo doesn't falter in some irascible, passive-aggressive attempt to shift between spastic boredom and cleaner melody to create some sort of dishonest contrast. There is no irony to this music. Everything makes perfect sense. One hypnotic note is followed by another, with no fat whatsoever to trim, no arbitrary progressions of notes that manifest disappointment. 33 minutes of total satisfaction, the one down side being that you almost immediately want more.

Infera Bruo is quite likely the best black metal related album I've heard from Massachusetts since December Wolves' Completely Dehumanized back in the 90s, and that was an entirely different beast (and yeah, I'm pretty biased there too). My one regret is not hearing this last summer when it was first put it out, but now that it's in my hands, I place it in yours. Accessible and emotional without feeling fashionable, safe or coy. Confident, coherent, lush, and varied darkness that builds upon its roots rather than ceding to them. Well worth your investment in time. Attention. Money. Whether your poison is Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room, Virus, Ved Buens Ende, Ash Borer, Castevet or 21st century Enslaved, you'll want to hear this. With luck, they won't get lost in the ceaseless tide of less compelling candidates for this niche.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10]

http://www.facebook.com/InferaBruo