Feed the Infamy

After twenty years of challenging listeners with feedback-induced black/doom, Ride for Revenge (RfR) made what may fittingly be described as their most "accessible" release. Yes, more than Ageless Powers Arise, and far more than the second-wave black metal stylings of Thy Horrendous Yearning. And yet, "accessibility" is not a dirty word: on Feed the Infamy, RfR continues to make destructive, pummeling black/doom that is far from a semblance of normality.

I lauded RfR's The King of Snakes for its huge focus on bass guitar - to the extent of obviating any other instrument but drums and noise. Following albums would never revisit that level of bassyness, though they would incorporate more noise and even power electronics (e.g. Sinking the Song). Feed the Infamy is somewhat of a return to that aesthetic, with the opening thumps of "Forever United" emphasizing dinosaurian bass strums even if the guitars are more present than ever. The bass guitar is the primary mover and shaker in how tracks flow - even more than the militaristic/ritualistic drums that typify all RfR albums. For example, "I Reek of Old Alcohol" immediately opens with a medium-burn of thudding profundity, with the absence of bass only emphasizing sharp points of feedback. Bass moderates each track's intensity while also making Feed the Infamy sound absolutely massive.

Fans of RfR's cacophonous albums like Wisdom of the Few and Sinking the Song may be disappointed to hear that this release has almost nothing in the way of noise-as-instrumentation. While guitar feedback often ends tracks or progressions, there isn't anything even close to "Morning Won't Bring a Twinkling Star" or "Horror in Heat". Even the minute-long introductory noise track present on almost all RfR albums doesn't make an appearance. For some, this serves to streamline the intensity and bring the metal back into this band's black metal, but others might find that streamlining effect to be a dampening one instead. The closing title track has some of the two-minute weirdness present on the shorter tracks of Wisdom of the Few, but it's presented in a schizoid way that swaps between Feed the Infamy's general metallic strengths and the abstruse darkness of that LP.

Yet that isn't to imply that Feed the Infamy is a step backwards, nor is it a surprising change. Most of the tracks on this LP are pretty similar to the non-noise tracks on Sinking the Song, but with higher-fidelity production and more fleshing-out. Compare "The One and Same and All" from Sinking the Song with "Whatever in Hell It Is" from Feed the Infamy - the main difference is simply Sinking the Song's mid-fi production. Feed the Infamy, on the other hand, is much fuller, with the guitars filling out more of the sonic space even as the bass is once-again emphasized. Feed the Infamy widens the production palette in favor of bass, drum, and guitar at the expense of feedback and noise.

As with Ageless Powers Arise, this LP is a great introduction to Finnish black/doom and RfR's discography. The title track and "Whatever in Hell it Is" provide just enough touches of weirdness to direct listeners to the experimental releases. On the flip side, the gargantuan metal of "Ride for Revenge" and "The Altar of Eternal Power Fire" are great for those who prefer more conventional black metal but with an extra dose of vigor. While its short length and lack of discordance might dissatisfy long-time fans who wanted a bit more, Feed the Infamy remains another hot addition to the discography of an extreme metal band who isn't stingy on the "extreme".