Out NOW
Via The Artisan Era
Words by: Liam Hedges
For anyone who knows me, it would be seen as an achievement that I have managed to write a number of reviews without mentioning The Black Dahlia Murder. Well, that streak comes to an end today. I first found Inferi after the release of Revenant due to the feature on the track Behold the Bearer of Light performed by Trevor Strnad (RIP, Trevor Forever). This track, and the album as a whole quickly caught me in their melodic riffs as I found so much of what I love about TBDM in Inferi as well, and they have remained on my radar ever since. If Inferi are new to you, certainly check out this new release, but I would also direct you to the previous release from 2021, Vile Genesis. It is an absolute melodic death metal banger and a release that I find myself putting on often, but it is 2026 now, and Inferi have gifted us 38 minutes of new music on the latest release; Heaven Wept, so on we go.
Following the process of how I normally consume new music; I start with my eyes. The album art by Helge C. Balzer features appropriate biblical themes for the title, with Seraphim overlooking a horned knight fighting back winged, monstrous creatures. This knight is featured across several album covers, creating a thematic tie between these releases, which as I’ve said before in other reviews, is an extra level of detail and consistency that I deeply appreciate.
Track one, The Rapture of Dead Light hits with no holding back and immediate riffs. Just like that the new Inferi album has arrived, quickly reaching those teched-out melodic riffs that we should expect and the wide soundscapes that they do so masterfully. This track, like the majority of the others, features a guitar solo that is highly technically proficient and crafted to just absolutely sing across each track.
The title track Heaven Wept has a groovy riff which really captures the attention at the half-way point of this release. It’s not at all the case that attention is lost prior to this track, but the movement away from the tech death speed and unrelenting blasting to focus on groove within this track provides a breather, and is a very well-thought-out placement in the context of the whole album.
Track seven Of Rotted Wombs kicks off with a taste of another component of Inferi’s soundscape being the orchestration. This is used sparingly across this album never taking the attention away from the riffs or vocals, and acts to develop the backing scape, creating a grandiose atmosphere and depth to the tracks.
Inferi are highly proficient musicians and they craft technical metal which always maintains a melodic backbone and overall atmosphere. The main word that has been left in my mind after this release is grand, the album feels big and fits with the biblical themes so perfectly. I don’t think that I can really write a review that can appropriately capture the overall sound of this album so I’ll urge you, dearest reader, to go check them out ASAP
Off for now to continue my weekly re-watch of Majesty,
Metal Cult 666
