Band:	Infestus
Album:	E X | I S T
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	May 16, 2011
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Akoasma
02. Down Spiral Depersonification
03. Darkness Blazing In The Flame Of Fire
04. Torn Observer
05. Mirror Mind Reality
06. Der Blick Hinaus
07. Descend Direction Void

Something very nasty must happen to leave behind my admiration for the German black metal scene of the later years and Infestus are not here to serve this cause. Being a one-man band nowadays, Andras takes care of everything and the third full-length is reality. E x | I s t its title and the existential matters keep on breathing through the sullen, grey cover artwork which prepares the listener in the most appropriate way.

Once again one of my musical wishes has come to life, the surrounding ambiance owes its reason of existence to the guitars in the first place and then to the vocal factor. No keyboards required ladies and gentlemen, they are in exile. Everything relies upon the basic instrumentation under the supervision of the figure behind Infestus. The railway riffing forges abandoned walls of sound while the melodic leads and soloing ideas whistle among the ruins and make the overall scenery even more oppressive. And there, in the corner, an acoustic guitar makes its appearance every now and then to adorn the compositions with a more fragile and affected aura. There are moments the guitars wholeheartedly weep and where there's weeping, there's always hate about someone or something, a situation, a person, the world, even yourself. And this is when the vocals come to the foreground to shake the foundations of the album either with their scornful, howling grunts or a more desolate aspect. The overall atmosphere becomes more intense whenever some kind of desperate yet dominant shouts arise with grandeur from internal depths with asphyxiating pressure, whereas the recites and the whispers are the volcanic fumes before the eruption. And let's not forget the rhythm section! In one hand, the bass lines are quite vivid and pulsate like lashes upon the guitars in the ideal coordinates. On the other hand, the drumming with its powerful creativity holds tight the structure from the emotional decline.

If you're looking for a decent work of atmospheric black metal made in Germany, you shouldn't skip this. E x | I s t is here to adorn your free time with welcome amounts of gloom.