Infinite Universe Infinite Death

Like several recent bands I have discovered, the album art is what initially drew me in to check out this band, as well. I find myself a sucker for the cosmic stuff, especially if it is done well. And, ya know, this album art just hit all the right tones for me. So, here I am writing a review for this record!

First off, I find that this record and band image is a bit misleading. Once I started to dive into the music and read up on things, I began reading about comparisons to Emperor. Let's get it out of the way right now - this band is no Emperor. I mean no disrespect, but it is important to make this distinction. I would describe Journey Into Darkness's music as more symphonic death/black than symphonic black metal and Emperor was also a lot more technical [and much better song-writers]. All this is fine because JID still play some damn fine music in their niche and it is enjoyable in its own right. But, as they say, the devil is in the details.

For the production of the record, I would say that this is the weakest aspect of the album. But, it is not all bad. It certainly does remind me of old-school symphonic black metal and the sound they have achieved does happen to be pleasing to the ears. The drums are one of the weaker parts of the production, with the toms sounding much more processed than the rest of the kit. I also find the symbols and bass drums get smothered in the mix much of the time. Additionally, the symphonic elements are very loud in the mix, covering up a lot of "stuff". The bass guitar is pretty much inaudible for most of the album. Vox and guitar are fine, even if the guitar is a bit thin sounding for a modern album.

The musicianship is also an issue for me. I have two semi-gripes with the album. First, the guitars are not black metal sounding, but the symphonic elements are (guitars sound more like basic death metal). I can't blame JID as this issue plagues most of the symphonic black metal genre, but it still feels slightly forced on this record. The 2nd issue I have is that the symphonic elements basically follow along with the music and do not add much to the table. They also happen to sound the same throughout the entire album. This gives the album a bit of a monotone quality to the songs that has the potential to ruin the entire album. Fortunately, the charm of the actual songs uplift the album above these issues and make it an enjoyable album, where normally these sins would ruin an entire album.

This brings me to the one strength that, perhaps, saves this album from mediocrity and that is the song-writing. While the album is not quite catchy in nature, these songs still have a charm to them and are pleasant to revisit. Perhaps, not all the songs are like this, but certainly a few are very re-listen worthy. This is particularly the case for me for the songs at the beginning of the record - especially, the opening track. JID have done a good job creating some good songs despite the technical issues with the album and this gives me a lot of promise for this band.

Overall, I think this is a decent, albeit, niche album that symphonic death/black fans will eat up (like me) and others will skip. If you enjoy this style, then nab it up and give it a spin. Otherwise, you will probably want to skip this one, although you may enjoy the dark, cosmic instrumentals. This record does have some charm and for that I can still say it is a good album worthy of ownership. The future of this band could be very bright if they continue to develop and cultivate this cosmic sound.

Journey into Darkness’s third LP ‘Infinite Universe Infinite Death’ jettisons some of the baggage of symphonic metal’s contested past, cutting the fat from a bloated style with class and poise. This homage to the vastness of space eschews the barren soundscapes of a Darkspace, and instead attempts to present us with a universe of chaos, danger, activity, and of course life’s end. No ambient preamble, no lengthy interludes, all is motion and conflict, no space left unfilled. It comes across as an interesting hybrid of styles which is surprisingly difficult to pin down. This is essentially a technical death metal album with the aesthetic of European romanticism; think Septic Flesh, or Sentenced circa ‘North from Here’, with an undeniable colouring of Dimmu Borgir circa ‘Death Cult Armageddon’ without the extra cheese.

But this highly traditional and neoclassical approach to melody that defined the European approach to extreme metal in the 1990s is supplemented on ‘Infinite Universe Infinite Death’ with some pronounced American percussive flavourings. The rhythms are choppy, impatient, varied, they cut across the soaring harmonies in bracing schizophrenic tempo changes, pieces dive from breakneck blast-beats to unfolding mid-paced riffs defined by meandering drum patterns in whiplash inducing transitions.

This melding of traditions is reflected in the aesthetic choices made at the mixing desk. Drums are kept synthetic sounding and without dynamics, accentuating the shifts in rhythm and style over organic expressive qualities. This artificial underpinning in turn dictates the tone and presentation of the guitars, which offer a clear and crisp distortion, fully articulating the complex web of riffs as they relentlessly compete for airtime. Vocals stick with a modern black metal sheen, high end and distorted but with plenty of attack, allowing them to match the music for rhythmic nuance.

Keyboards are a near constant presence throughout this album. And here we might as unpack that word “symphonic”. Journey into Darkness are one of those artists that, even sans keyboards, could still be described as symphonic. The atonal and chromatic approach of death metal is largely avoided, yet the music is dense and rich with musicality, unlike the sparse soundscapes offered by a purer form of black metal. The riffs themselves follow a certain neo-romantic tradition of melodrama, complexity, yet are still defined by highly traditional melody. Taking the density of death metal and the harmonic techniques of romantic era classical leads us to conclude that ‘Infinite Universe Infinite Death’ is symphonic to the core.

It is interesting to note therefore, that the keyboards are surprisingly limited in their range of timbres. They stick largely with synth string tones, some more textural and understated, others heavy on the attack, allowing them to match the pacing of the guitars and sometimes follow them note for note. Unlike Summoning say, who flip the keyboard/guitar relationship within black metal on its head by making the former the lead instrument and the latter a mere textural lever, Journey into Darkness instead fully integrate the keyboards into the melodic dictates of the guitars. This not only gives the music a sense of unity in spite of the density of the compositions, but also imbues the guitars themselves with symphonic qualities, accentuating the melodrama. Every percussive punch thrown at the listener is opened out with size and grandeur.

Beneath its surface level chaos, ‘Infinite Universe Infinite Death’ is an interesting and subtle marriage of disparate melodic traditions within metal. And in this pursuit it goes some way to bringing symphonic metal back into the fold of legitimacy after its long wilderness years in the cheese wagon. Whilst the vastness of space provides the bedrock of inspiration for Journey into Darkness, the aesthetics of this album are kept broad, allowing listeners to either immerse themselves in this conceptual material or simply admire the mechanics of the music itself, both from a technical perspective and in the subtle understanding of its sonic lineage.

Originally published at Hate Meditations

Journey into Darkness is the brainchild of ex-Sorrow guitarist Brett Clarin (whose 1992 Hatred and Disgust is a must-hear classic of death/doom) but don’t go expecting slovenly dirges of dank dismay here, as Infinite Universe, Infinite Death is an expansive collection of symphonic blackened death metal that is as otherworldly as it is obliquely oppressive!

Appropriately orchestral and absolutely huge in scope, the exhausting nature of Clarin’s compositons render them bedfellows of Dimmu Borgir and their ilk but that band’s pomposity is thankfully reeled in here, ostensibly swapped for a more visceral and, overall, more vindictive approach.

With the ambient likes of instrumentals “Scattered Amongst The Stars” and the title track recalling the ‘outro’ tracks on Pestilence’s Testimony of the Ancients there’s a real tie to the groundbraking technical / progressive death metal albums of the early 90’s – which should come as no real surprise considering Brett Clarin’s time spent on Roadrunner Records with Sorrow – but Infinite Universe, Infinite Death is, thankfully far more than a mere retread of paths long since trodden.

With Brett Clarin’s ongoing passion for all things extreme clear to hear, Infinite Universe, Infinite Death is very much an album that is as honest as it is heavy, as experimental as it is enthusiastic and as atmospheric as it is anatagonistic. Subsequently, anyone for an ear for music that thnks ‘big’ and embraces the epic should find much to enjoy here.

Extreme music for extreme times.

Originally published on worshipmetal.com