2020

Fuck, this is exactly the kind of stuff we need more of nowadays. Infected Religion is a one-man project operating within that beautiful primordial soup that was the good old tape-trading underground from the late 80's - blending together thrashcore, proto-grindcore and ultra-primitive lo-fi death/thrash in an effortless synthesis of all these sonic ingredients. The most apt comparison one could make to describe Infected Religion's style would be Unseen Terror - another proto-grind band carrying huge thrash DNA in their sound. Debut album "2020" is a raw-as-fuck blasting assault of primitive minimalism that's sure to please you if, like me, you have a place in your heart for the underground metal/hardcore scene from three decades ago.

Short-running songs blast at frantic speeds while keeping what's essentially a strictly old school, fairly chaotic drumming devoid of any studio trickery, alternating between late-80's proto-blastbeats and regular d-beats during the more overtly thrashy/punky sections. Riffing is basically cut from the rawer, sharper, more minimalistic branches of 80's death/thrash, filtered through a thrashcore/grindcore sensibility with the occasional "Scum"-style two/three-note whirling during the blasting sections, which are cyclically alternated with thrashier, slightly bouncier ones. Some of the main riffs might come off as a bit generic and repetitive (and that would be the only weakness of this record if I had to point out one), but they always tend to evolve over the course of each track in remarkable ways, ending up every time in stimulating, fairly ingenious albeit primitive riff mazes that make for a propelling listen: the best examples of that can be found on memorable numbers such as "Barrage of Mind-Numbing Platitudes", "Corrupted by Purity", "Your Place in Your Natural Order" and the phenomenal "Managers" (the most punk-infused track on the record, and also my favorite one due to its unforgettable, unbelievably badass "fuck you, I fucking quit" chorus).

It's also worth noting in this regard the incredible hyperactivity of the drumming, in spite of its seemingly basic approach: breaks and tempo changes occur at a pretty frantic pace, each fitting the nature of the riff or micro-section at hand, yet never coming off as randomic, disrupting or overly quirky; on the contrary, these songs maintain a very consistent, cohesive vibe all throughout, with each riff being a fitting, compelling continuation of the previous one - and the spontaneous, almost "live rehearsal" feel of these recordings comes off as extremely refreshing, reminding us of the relentless unpredictability and rhythmic unrest of older thrashcore/grindcore classics. Songs rarely slow down, but when they do (as on "Planetary Mutation" and "Derelict Future"), they retain a rather sinister feeling, showing the project's more overt death metal influences; "Derelict Future", especially, delights us with some morbid, near-hypnotic melodies you wouldn't expect from such a straightforwardly violent album. In all fairness, Infected Religion doesn't lack atmosphere in the slightest: the rather bitter vibe of many of these riffs, the muffled lo-fi production and the deep albeit still gruff-sounding growl singing about natural disasters, economic inequality, systemic oppression and social decay all come together to paint a rather bleak, depressing, downright dystopian picture of present times. A song like "Unsuspected Cancer" might even come off as slightly dismal and disheartening, despite its violence and rhythmic energy.

In short, "2020" is the perfect thrashcore/grindcore record for the year it came out. Its insane ultra-sharp deathrashing riff galore (see: "The Mask Has Fallen"), coupled with relentless high-energy drumming and no-bullshit lyrics (I also love by the way how "Mental Vacuum" is basically a jab thrown at the Batushka/Deathspell Omega crowd), is sure to be your cup of tea if you're a fan of fast, raw old school shit such as Unseen Terror, Napalm Death, Wehrmacht, Cryptic Slaughter, D.R.I. and Terrorizer. This record captures all the batshit insanity from that era of the underground, when things weren't as strictly codified as they are today and subgenres weren't these sealed compartments that could never merge with each other due to the radically different crowds now following them. Stuff like Infected Religion is a perfect example of what underground metal needs right now: not more compartmentalizations, not more sectoralizations, and definitely not any more gimmicky pseudo-experimental artsy-fartsy niches - but a regain of its original, primal approach that reunites all of its basic roots together and makes them communicate fluidly and naturally, resulting in efficient, functional musical outputs which keep the genre's raw, savage, crazy spirit intact. Despite a tad bit of repetitiveness (a flaw I hope gets fixed on the project's next releases), this is a fantastic work that I strongly recommend to any real underground fan who truly knows his shit.