Band:	Infestus
Album:	Entzweiung
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	April 2024
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

01. Echoes
02. Dead Inside
03. Fuga Nocturna
04. Quell Der Entzweiung
05. Vom Dunkel Verschlungen
06. Solitude
07. Dance Of Uncreation

After 6 years, Infestus returns to demonstrate that you don’t need to overcomplicate things to make excellent black metal.

During the late 2000s up to the mid 2010s, black metal had an explosion of new ideas. This was true for the brighter style of the blackgaze movement as well as the hectic dissonant black metal wave. In that period of time, Infestus went the other way and released three albums that capture the best “standard” black metal available at the time.

Now, the word “standard” normally brings negative connotations but in this case it is nothing but praise. Infestus stays as close to traditional black metal as possible while still finding ways to modernise the genre. At a time when it seemed that many bands were desperately trying to outdo each other in terms of uniqueness, Infestus focused on what is truly important at the end of the day: The core instruments, some damn good riffs, fierce vocals and impeccably written songs. So yeah, Chroniken Des Ablebens, E X | I S T and The Reflecting Void might be “just” black metal, but they remain a spectacular modern take on it: an anchor during a period of turbulent innovation, and a display on how modern black metal should sound.

I fell a bit out of touch with Infestus after that trilogy of excellent records, Partially because I was starting to develop a taste for other styles of (black) metal, but also, Infestus’s fifth album Thrypsis wasn't too impressive. I wasn’t excited by the sound expanding to atmospheric styles like post-metal, which took away some of that old ferocity. So I was only mildly curious for Infestus’ comeback. All doubts quickly disappeared as I felt like I was struck by lightning after Entzweiung’s first minute of ominous ambience.

The title “Dead Inside” feels like an antonym to what the song delivers because the fiery passion can be felt instantly: the intensity of the blast beats, the gorgeous melodies that are carefully built into the waves of menacing riffs, and the desperate, hateful howls of mastermind Andras. For it is really that duality of inspiring melodies and fierce aggression that sets Infestus apart from the pack. Andras has incorporated soothing and atmospheric elements in a better way than on his previous opus; piano, acoustic guitars and even strings enrich the songs at key moments. Fans of bands like Shining would certainly appreciate this. All songs incorporate these instruments in a very natural way, but what I truly enjoy is that they never seem to be the highlight of each song. For Infestus, it is the black metal that remains the most important aspect (which is why I would refrain from using a tag like "progressive black metal"). The true highlights appear once all hell breaks loose. Andras has mastered the concept of “catch & release” with Entzweiung, and has applied it to all the songs while staying varied. And all this through a production that is punchy, rich and intense without being too clean.

Entzweiung is an excellent new chapter for Infestus that puts Andras at the top, just like E X | I S T did it for him in 2011. As the project is now over 20 years old, it is my wish that Andras gets the recognition he deserves, as Infestus surely is one of the best one-man black metal acts of modern times. Because a lot of what many bands are doing, he is doing better on his own, be it the impeccable production, the impressive performance or the meticulously crafted songs.