Inferi are corpses reanimated by dark wizards, which is both completely appropriate and totally at odds for the Nashville band. Sure, they did break up after an initial run between 2006 and 2009 before reforming in 2011. However, recently there simply hasn’t been a corpse to reanimate, as they’ve been as lively as their tech-death sound. Newly announced EP Of Sunless Realms is their third release in as many years, following 2019’s The End of an Era | Rebirth and 2018’s Revenant.
Yes, despite being a surprise release, the band’s pace is par for the course, even if the densely dark symphonics and intricate technicality suggest doing so is practically inhuman. No, the real surprise comes in sole single “Aeons Torn” and ITS pace. The track is slow — well, for these typically lightning-fast shredders. Sludge or drone it ain’t.
The stunted speed allows dissonant darkness to seethe. Piano arpeggios bubble to the surface in the space between. The soloing toes the line between the epic triumph sewn into much of the band’s material and a deep mourning. Short bursts of speed punch hard, even as the track ramps up its velocity in the second half. Mid-paced blast beats — again, by this band’s standards — rain, and the number of notes still surpasses the reasonable threshold to near ridiculous.
All of which is to say it’s perfect for fans of Inferi, even if it isn’t perfectly in-line with what you’d expect from them.
The band expand on the advent of this release (out October 9 on The Artisan Era), and what it means for their upcoming LP, below.
“We have been hinting at a new full length for a while now. However, since 2020 has had its fair share of surprises already, we thought we would do something unexpected and make something happen during this global downtime. We bring you a new five-track EP, Of Sunless Realms. We still have a full-length album in the works and will continue to put all efforts into making it the best release we can.”
Pre-order Of Sunless Realms in the US, Europe or worldwide via Bandcamp. Hurry, though, as the first run of vinyl sold out in a mere 36 hours.
