Infernal War - Axiom

Published April 09 2015

*=Staff's pick	Coronation Militant Hate Church Into Dead Soil* Paradygmat Nihil Prayer* The Parallel Darkness Transfigure Eater Of Hope Camp 22* No Forgiveness Axiom

Genre	Black Metal	Herr Warcrimer	Vocals
Tracks	11	Triumphator	Guitar
Running time	43 Min.	Zyklon	Guitar
Label	Agonia Records	Godcrusher	Bass
Release	April 17, 2015	Stormblast	Drums
Country	Poland	-	Keyboard
Producer	M.
Similar artists	Marduk

"Still going nowhere, but still going strong" belches Herr Warcrimer in the closing title track of Infernal War's third full-length 'Axiom'. Those words might very well be prophetic about the success of this output and at the same time describes its sound pretty well. Since their 2005 debut 'Terrorfront' the Poles have changed little and are yet to take the step into the elite division of black metal despite a string of solid releases from the hyper speed branch of the genre.

Apart from losing the rather annoying canny drum sound, Infernal War's black metal remains trapped in the sound of Marduk circa 1999-2004 with its grinding blast beats, furious riffs and possessed vocals. This is not music for desolate strolls in forests at full moon or solemn candlelit rituals. This is music designed for waging total war on everything that is sacred and holy.

The songs are fairly formulaic, most starting at breakneck grinding speed, moving to mid-tempo and then back to a blasting finish. However, maturity in the song writing starts to show on this one which is more focused compared to previous efforts. Each track has an identity which in the end gives the necessary variation needed in full speed black metal to avoid stagnation and monotony.

Still, I miss parts of the all-in primitive approach from the debut which naturally has taken a step back in favor of the more mature composing skills, despite using pretty much the same set of tools from the riff box. The end result is a less direct, less aggressive album with a more polished production, but with higher potential to last for repeated listens and grow over time.

Time will tell whether 'Axiom' will be the album that pushed Infernal War into the top segment of black metal or if the bands own words will be their fate. Either way, they are correct in one thing: 'Axiom' is yet another solid release from these dedicated Poles. Recommended for anyone who misses early 00's Marduk or simply enjoy their black metal at the highest possible speed.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	5	6	7	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Tengan