Review by Felix on November 10, 2019.

To start a project with an own goal is always a miserable pity. The opener of Enemynside’s fourth full-length illustrates this very impressive. Its name (“Faceless”) seems to be the admission of the Italians that this track has nothing to offer. Its form of somehow annoyingly meandering thrash – the riff does not know whether it wants to transport aggression or a melodic touch - appears as a musical stillbirth, because the combination of “mild” and “thrash” is absurd per se. Thus, I actually wanted to stop the listening session after the first number, but I am a lazy guy, old and slack. Therefore, it was too much work to press the button. And lo and behold, the dudes know how to fight. As soon as the second track sets in, the formation celebrates the force of jagged riffs, dynamic lines and powerful thrash shouts of the lead vocalist who is supported by solid background vocals from time to time. No doubt, the lead singer is gifted with truly metal-compatible vocal chords, he sounds like the thrash edition of the equally strong and robust vocalist of Mystic Prophecy. In view of these positive details, I almost regret that I never heard a tone of their first three albums, because classic thrash without lame mid-tempo orgies or oh-so-groovy rhythms gets never boring. Never! Everybody who disagrees should immediately suffer from hair loss, tooth decay and ear wax.

Okay, the Italians are not totally immune against relatively harmonic sequences. They try to increase the degree of catchiness by interspersing some melodic lines in the bridges and choruses, while the pretty musical solos which have nothing in common with the shredding feasts of Hanneman (R.I.P.) or King on “Reign in Blood”. The band is rather comparable with formations such as War Curse, Evile or Testament minus “Demonic” and “The Ritual”. The four-piece is in its element when it comes to highly dynamic leads that rely on coherent song structures and this is, for example, the case in “Frozen Prison Cell”. The transparent, modern yet inspired production flirts successfully with the traditional approach and the effect is that the spirit of thrash proves its unbroken standing once again. The sharp guitars do not lack pressure and rawness, the drummer has understood the relevance of high velocity and the entire band appears as a well-programmed machine. (But do not expect any type of chaos, although the album’s title indicates this.) All in all, the album reflects the enthusiasm of its authors and this feature lends the material a very lively touch. Even though there is still room for improvement with regard to the song-writing, I cannot say that Enemynside can be blamed for having made major mistakes.

Quite the opposite. The homogeneous album, equipped with an adequate artwork, is not highly original, but the band also avoids riffs which have been shown up many times before. Songs like “Suffered Defeat” give you nice adrenalin flashes and deliver the stuff you must smoke as long as you want to be a real thrasher. “Frozen Prison Cell” sounds even better and marks the climax of an album which grows with every new spin. Even the short outro has a certain charm. Of course, Chaos Machine will be hated by all those assholes who proclaim that thrash is dead. Piss off and listen to your stale NWOBHM banalities, to your sleepy doom operas or to your mega-vibrant bullshit from the seventies. We, who are standing on the right side, know it better.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 3, 2024.

It is only a myth that the metal community distinguishes itself through its special values like friendship or anti-commercialism. But sometimes it happens that these values are taken to heart and put into practice. Due to such a behaviour, I am able to write a review for the debut of Infinity. First of all, thanks to the guy who made this possible.

The first full-length of the Dutch servants of darkness does not have the flair of a "normal" debut. No, I do not mean that the typical energetic approach of debutants is missing. The compositions demonstrate the right amount of power and energy. I am focussing on another detail; all songs shine with very matured configurations. Sometimes I react with a sceptical frown when being confronted with very epic elaborations on a debut. But Infinity are able to manage the challenging task. Instead of delivering ill-defined, overlong pieces that leave nothing except a slightly embarrassing impression, the duo comes up with cleverly designed songs. Despite their excessive formatting, they do not lack of repetitiveness. The band also avoids an inadequate amount of progressiveness. Additionally, it is surprising that the protagonists have already found their style. With regard to the musical direction, the songs of this album could be also part of their last work, the brilliant "Non de Hac Terra".

Let's have a closer look at the quality of the songs which cannot fully compete with those of the band's later works. Anything else would have been a surprise. To be more exact, more memorable parts would have been desirable. This is not to say that the songs just pass by without any sustainability. Rather, Infinity create a very dense atmosphere while using the typical stylistic devices of the black genre. Raw vocals meet dark guitar lines, tempo changes are dexterously integrated and some atmospheric parts show up as well. Simply speaking, I like this cocktail, not at least because of the appropriate number of melodies that Infinity offer. They have a keen sense for the balance of fairly harmonious parts and rapid sections. "The Astral Gate to Infinity", for instance, starts with a sinister line that takes the listener on a journey to occult and sunless regions. But this almost considerate beginning is just one facet of the song which also presents an intensive mid-part and forcefully pounded drums. Okay, I must point out that a few sections of the songs do not reach the highest tier of excitement. I don't mind. This work constitutes the first official result of the group and absolutely flawless debuts are rare. How many have been released since the publications of "Bonded By Blood" and "Seven Churches"?

In technical terms, the band has not set the focus on transparency, clarity or differentiation. This is no disadvantage, because the album also does not sound muddy or blurred. Rather, the technical implementation produces a misty and dense atmosphere. This is not the worst choice for an album that expresses the longing for the past. To put it plainly, the mix does not endanger the aural experience.

I have learnt that "Nostalgia for the Dark Age" is hardly available. Consequently, it does not make much sense to recommend this actually worthwhile album. Thus, I am going one step further. I can say with a clear conscience that each and every full-length of the Dutch horde is recommendable. All of you who have a weakness for mid-harsh black metal should be at least familiar with their best album, the glorious "Non de Hac Terra".

Rating: 7.5 out of 10