Atrium Infernalis

Evil Lucifera plays symphonic black metal that tries exceptionally hard to nail that specific late '90s aesthetic put forth by bands like Limbonic Art and Dimmu Borgir circa Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. Understated, classically inflected keyboards promulgate throwback allures alongside flesh-ripping melodic black metal riffing structures with an affinity for swarming tremolos and the like. Lucifera herself is only the vocalist here, with American-born Dean Mills writing all of the music on his own. From that standpoint, the collective cohesion of these seven often-lengthy tunes is quite admirable, as there is most certainly a fluid consistency throughout.

While understated the keyboards may be, those allergic to symphonic ensconcing should steer clear of Atrium Infernalis all the same. At times it veers dangerously close to In Abhorrence Dementia levels of pontifical bombast and pseudo-classical masturbation, although there are also a fair share of imposingly triumphant sounding orchestrations like on "Master of Tormented," which sounds somewhat unusual for symphonic black metal with those massive fanfares. Elsewhere, the synths wear out the same stereotypically "evil" and dissonant note progressions, so the performance is somewhat give-and-take on the whole. Many sections are also obviously programmed, and the final impression I get is that the electronic backing was laid out first, with the remainder (including the riffs) pieced together on top afterward. I am really getting a strong later Old Man's Child vibe from these guys, particularly albums like Revelation 666: The Curse of Damnation.

Lucifera herself is definitely more than a pretty-to-look-at gimmick. She has a particular languid, drawling inflection to her snarling that reminds me of Shagrath at his most venomous, specifically on Black Spiritual Dimensions. She primarily rasps her way through the album, occasionally interjecting some gutturals via punctual layering. At times her cadence takes clear influence from Daemon's earlier crimes against humanity (I mean that in a positive manner) like on the aforementioned In Abhorrence Dementia. Mills is also quite the songsmith, although he should try thinking out of the box more concerning his riffing constructions. There are only so many ways you can repackage the same droning tremolo aesthetic without losing virility. That said, the gravesoil-shifting variance of "Triumph of Malice" stands out as a highlight despite some ridiculous synth runs. "Alone in the Moonless Skies" is also one of the more memorable cuts here, if not only for the keyboards alone.

Atrium Infernalis is only seven songs, and I can think of many worse ways to kill an afternoon with black metal. It is symphonic, oftentimes plastic sounding artificial malevolence at its core not unlike many of its peers, but the performances are spirited enough to pull everything together for a solid-listening final product. Given the relatively unknown pedigree of the two members, it is a very well done tribute to a particular substyle that doesn't get much airtime nowadays.