Sulphur

Titles like ‘Deleted Error’ and ‘Old Viral Order’ - not to mention Sulphur itself - give away the fact that Infection Code’s death/thrash metal formula features a surprise ingredient, namely a radioactive dose of industrial. That shifts the goalposts of an otherwise up-tempo genre, so that we dwell in murky rhythmic mid-pace for much of the ninth album from this Italian combo. Sick bursts of anger well up from grinding riffs, though a methodical, mechanical bludgeoning gives the experience the same monochrome sheen as its cover art, rather than a vivid splatter of chaotic thrashing. The metallic part of the equation draws from dry-as-bones death metal proponents in the early British and American scenes, with none of the earth-shaking Scandinavian groove that could make this a catchy listen. Sudden flashbacks to early Fear Factory come with the territory however.

Though Sulphur satisfies in a general sense, it cannot be ignored that the cover of ‘Blinded by Fear’ shows up the rest of the material in a few ways. The clanging metallic opening fits well with Infection Code’s own industrial effects, but the At The Gates standard whizzes past much quicker than the other songs, contains the most notable moment of lead guitar, and also finds hooks and dynamics that are in scarce supply elsewhere. Too much of the album relies on similar juxtapositions of toughened riffs and shouted vocals, neither of which have that much range, either in technique or emotion. ‘Evil Side of Mercy’ wins out due to a simply flattening opening riff, but the highlights are too few and the average moments too many.


Originally written for Metalegion #14 - www.metalegion.com