Drowning in the Chalice of Sin

Infernal is a lesser known Brazilian death metal band with a sound somewhat unique for their time period and location. Influences are seemingly rooted in both South american and Floridian scenes of the late-80's/early-90's.

'Drowning in the Chalice of Sin' is a competant debut, although far from stunning . Production is not instantly appealing as the treble sits atop the bass leaving an amateurish, self-recorded sound as a first impression. While this was off-putting at first, the album retains some depth after a few casual listens.

Considering their arrival at death metal's creative peak, Infernal's approach was already standard fare outside of Brazil. Alternate blasting and slower sections attempt to differentiate song patterns, a concept lost upon most modern death metal acts. Guitar riffs are decent and showcase a moderate thrash influence now and then, guitar leads are sparse and forgettable. I can't stress enough how typical this album is outside of the fact that it came from Brazil. A loose and admittedly shallow comparison would be a mixture of Sinister - Cross The Styx (or possibly Monstrosity - Imperial Doom) and Sepultura - Schizophrenia.

'Drowning in the Chalice of Sin' is difficult to appreciate beyond the novelty of the band's sound being far from typical for a Brazilian death metal band. The bulk of it's appeal is directed towards those who: 1. Are already familiar with Infernal. 2. Enjoy obscure, old-school death metal 3. Do not mind lackluster production values.

Not wildly imaginative or impressive but an overall good debut from a decent band. I personally prefer 'Ritual Humiliation' and would recommend that as an introduction.