Release Date- 24th January
Label - Candlelight Records
Words- Tony Bliss
Hailing from a place as folklore-rich and flush with atmosphere as East Anglia’s ancient fenland (this writer is Norfolk born and bred, dontcha' know), The Infernal Seas' fascination with all things historically horrific has always been primed to explore the gruesome days of yore of their native eastern England. Concerned with the insane behaviour of witch-murdering maniac Matthew Hopkins (widely known as The Witchfinder General), Hellfenlic is not only centred around some metal as all unholy fuck subject matter - it is also the best batch of tunes conjured up by the band yet.
Booting off with the fire ‘n’ brimstone ripper ‘Lord Abhorrent’ and an equally brutish ‘Shadow Of The Beast’, it’s clear that the band aren’t looking to hobnob with Dimmu Borgir or the glossier corners of the black metal world just yet - there is still very much a heart of virulent and terrifying darkness beating persistently here, as dissonant riffs and the urgent, hammering pulse of blast beats-a-plenty keep these songs as grim and malevolent as black metal gets right now.
However, this isn’t to say that Hellfenlic lacks ambition or is content to languish in a cult comfort zone - although undeniably a quintessential black metal experience, every second on this record crackles with thunderous heavy metal muscle and shrewd dynamics. ‘Black Witchery’ for example is a cackling, full-steam-ahead rager, with not a little thrash influence and a Darkthrone-at-their-most-fun-loving vibe ushered into the mix, whereas ‘Frozen Fen’ is a chilling, crawling, Freezing Moon-type creature with a deliberate sense of minor-chord evil, and album highlight ‘Bastard Of The East’ (like most of these tracks, being honest) is driven by the sort of foot-on-monitor groove power that would leave many classic extreme metal bands, regardless of genre, in the dust.
And then there’s closer ‘Messenger Of God’, a plus eight-minute foray into string-led drama and orchestral, candlelit melody that certainly hints at hidden depths yet to be explored. Couple all this with a crystal clear and punchy production job, and it’s easy to declare Hellfenlic as an undeniable triumph across the board, and The Infernal Sea to be on the form of their lives - and ironically, steeped in the sort of sonic black magic that would certainly have made Hopkins double take.
8.5/10
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