Inferno

Bizarre, and yet, interesting. John Gill presents us with his Inferno, and not Dante’s. Raw and almost haphazard at times, Black Tribe’s Inferno gives us Black Metal with an Industrial plague, with a captivating, disturbing, yet bothersome work. I think there is something very honest about the outcome of Inferno, and I feel optimistic about the experiments with instrumentation, aside from all of its criticisms.

Boldly cacophonous, Inferno’s Industrial strains have a strange fit into the Black Metal form presented here. Songwriting is intentionally vibrant and forceful, and usually either candy or poison for the ears. The programmed drums are almost intentionally catching; the sound varies as infectious, energetic, and even annoying at times. It has a very strong “stomping” feel that I enjoy. There are even times when I don’t think the drums fit well. These moments are brief, and aren’t engaged in dynamic moments in the song where momentum has built up. It’s not a point to be exaggerated upon or overlooked, however. Guitar work is varied as well. It has that drone, and that sometimes dull cut when too loud, but overall works in most of the material to give it more an approval in effort. The way that the guitars (either real or programmed) fit the theme of the songs also works prominently without dulling thin in most cases. Gill’s vocals have the sharp, static-like sound that fit well into the paradigm of much Electronic and Industrial-flavored Black Metal. Within the understanding of the usage of instruments, the probable limitation of resources makes it commendable and contrastingly erroneous at times; the error is utilized (somehow serendipitously) to create harmoniousness, and the harmony can fall into error.

There should also be a point made about other instrumentation as well. The use of keys evens out the “surface” of the album, but I don’t think it was exactly used for what I’m inferring. The keys give an added touch of melody that widens the audial spectrums tastefully. There are also an added number of samples that assist in spicing up the compositions as well. Gunshots, explosions, yells, and flowing water can be heard. This makes the songs’ stream run even more richly than expected.

The actual composition of Inferno is the key in what is novel listening. A use and buildup of instrumentation increases texture, which increases listening depth. Songs can be either slow, blazing fast with feedback, or simply riding the wave of ambience into a new theme introduced in a piece of a song. “Funeral Obsession” could be said to have a “suicidal” feel, but I’d rather feel mesmerized by the riffs reminiscent of Ildjarn. It’s minimal, contagious, and notable for use of pleasant tempo change, accelerated with compelling emotion. “Eine Selbstmordnotiz in E-Moll” is a great example of Gill’s use of textural ingredients. A low speed, morose riff terminates into an ambient bridge into a minimal tune. I extremely liked the piano in the end of the song, although I don’t think it fit well into the tempo; the tune gets stuck in my head though. The intro, “Semtex & Cocaine” was merely a drone with programmed drums and guitar introduced in. Simply demented and grotesquely appealing. The covers are interesting as well. From the infernal screech of Gill’s cover of Mayhem’s “Pure Fucking Armageddon,” to their mystically absurd interpretation of Emperor’s “Cosmic Keys to My Creations and Times,” I’ll be expecting covers just as bold in the future.

I’ve been told by Gill that the material was difficultly recorded from nine to ten months, and every beat was pasted into Windows Audio Recorder! That’s painstaking. Within a context of self-production, Inferno should be commended for both textural considerations, even with small oddities here and there. Listening here shouldn’t be given over simply to good and bad; oddly, the bad and good crossover into each other’s territory! “I wasn’t going to tell you this,” but Inferno does well in reaching heights infernal (as the name suggests) with such eerie experimental quality and disturbing features. So onward, I say, onward with the downward spiral! (Pun is not intended, but will accept credit for)