Inferno - "Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)" (World Terror Committee, 2017)

Band: Inferno
Title: Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 4th April 2017
Time: 45 min circa
Rating: 82/100












I think I read everything about the last album of Inferno also because it looks to me that there are no half-measures for it. In fact, some exalted it to the maximum while others blame Inferno to abandoning their original sound so to play the "fashioned" religious black metal à la Deathspell Omega, as if every band have to play in the same way throughout its musical career without experimenting new and maybe more stimulating solutions. But I say that Inferno, that recently was in South Italy for the Evil Fest, have the absolute right to experiment new solutions because they are a veteran Czech band formed even in 1996 that, guided since their early days by the singer Adramalech and passing through many line-up changes, shows now an interminable discography consisted, for example, of 16 splits, 5 live albums and 7 studio albums, included this "Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)", released by World Terror Committee, a label which love to support the so-called religious black metal of bands like Ascension, Fides Inversa, Acherontas and others. So, let's start this trip through an album full of occult-esoteric mysteries, and all this by a band once known for its feral and pagan black metal completely sung in Czech language.


For the truth, Inferno don't play that complex and intricate religious black metal of bands like Ascension and Fides Inversa because theirs is a sound a bit particular. In fact, the black metal of Inferno is very focused on the atmosphere, caused not only by the predilection of mid-slow tempos (without being a black/doom metal band, right?) but also by a bunch of strange guitar effects that, initially, seemed to me that were produced by keyboards. The result of all this is a black metal truly full of hidden details where there is a strangely thin and psychedelic atmosphere that's also, at the same time, magical and ritualistic even thanks to the vocals alternance between cavern-like guttural parts and clean vocals with an evocative vibe due also to the guest appearances of Acherontas V. Priest, leader of the aforementioned Acherontas. But you have to consider that, if you want to enter the esoteric feast prepared by Inferno, you must ready to hear mostly 8 minutes' songs culminating in the unreal "Gate-eye of the Fractal Spiral", immense through its 11 minutes circa dominated especially by stirring slow tempos opened by a psychedelic guitar intro.

But Inferno haven't forgotten their ability to crush the listeners through a devastating sonic violence. This is shown, for example, by the opening track "The Innermost Disillusion", that's also well exemplary of the structural approach choosen by the band. This because the first half of this track is focused on a continuous blasting assault while in its second half there are atmospheric and obsessive melodic plots that gradually develop towards a climax of spiritual ecstasy but starting in a way very  relaxing and calm, and this is strange for a black metal band like Inferno. "Ω 1 (Oscillation in Timelessness)", that starts in a way incredibly violent and hysterical, follows a similar approach. But, to speak the truth, I prefer the mid-slow tempos because, through them, Inferno express better theirselves along with an imaginative drummer like M. (substituted recently by Ondra D.I.E.) also to create monumental climaxes while the blast-beats aren't always effective. It's also for this that I consider fantastic the first, pachydermatous and magical minute of "Abysmal Cacophony" or the proud and thundering mid-tempos of "Upheaval of Silence".

With all this, "Gnosis Kardias...", for me, it's a great album from a band able to experiment very interesting solutions and to create a unique psychedelic atmosphere through the listeners are into a frightful and magical trip. But we are talking about an album very difficult to digest not only musically but also lyrically due to verses totally hermetic and even scientific like "The pulsating abscess of the frothing quantum (the seed of matter) becoming existence" (from "Ω 1 (Oscillation in Timelessness)") and others, so listen to it carefully until the outro "Orison for the Baneful Serpent".

Tracklist:

1 - The Innermost Disillusion
2 - Abysmal Cacophony
3 - Upheaval of Silence
4 -  Ω 1 (Oscillation in Timelessness)
5 - Gate-eye of Fractal Spiral
6 - Orison for the Baneful Serpent

Line-up:

Adramelech - vocals
Ska-Gul - guitars
Morion - guitars
Crudelis - bass
M. - drums

Guest:

Acherontas V. Priest - vocals

FaceBook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inferno/322975231147644
World Terror Committee: http://www.w-t-c.org/