The new band of ex-Dark Funeral sociopath Blackmoon is now up and running, preparing to stampede through your stereo and into your brain, directing you to the nearest church for some good old-fashioned satanic desecration of the necroblasphemous persuasion. Self-proclaimed "SATANIC HOLOCAUST METAL", Infernal is a lot tighter and more intense than post-Blackmoon Dark Funeral, which of course doesn’t say much but at least helps prove who was responsible for the good material. Not straying from that style and retaining Themgoroth’s aggressive vocals, this mCD could have been a decent follow-up to Secrets Of The Black Arts, with extra-props awarded for the increased speed. This thing is faster than a satanic war horse on cocaine, though the stop-and-go blasting of Defleshed’s drummer gives the music a more death metal feel. Opener "Requiem (The Coming of the Age of Satan)" and closer "Under The Hellsign" capture a total raging intensity, "Wrath Of The Infernal One" manages to keep up, and "Storms Of Armageddon" could use some work or simply be thrown away. It’s unfortunate Alasdor Mysteriis of Setherial wasn’t able to remain in this band, as that would have made for a superbly talented and focused lineup with potential to create perhaps the best extreme metal release in years (in the meantime, however, Blackmoon still reigns with WAR). I can’t say this mini-cd is essential to own, but it provides a good preview of current Swedish evil-metal endeavors. The Infernal full-length is due out by the end of this year, so keep an eye open as this man knows his metal and I’m sure will work toward a much stronger release.

Written By: Abbas