01. Intro
02. Destroyer of their Throne
03. Of Everlasting Hate
04. Kill their Weakness
05. Among the fallen Ones
06. Demonic Wrath
07. Nuclear Warlust
08. Cold Blood War
09. Terror Lord
10. Neka Vatre Gore (bonus)
Comentario:
4º álbum de ésta buenísima banda serbia de intenso Death/ Thrash con influencias en plan VADER, DARK ANGEL, primeros SEPULTURA, MERCILESS, AGRESSOR... Un disco demasiado intenso, una hostia en tu cara!!
Los serbios Infest editaron el pasado mes de abril a través del sello Xtreem Music su cuarto trabajo de estudio titulado “Cold Blood War”, un puñetazo de thrash/death metal directo a la cara. Y es que eso es lo que nos vamos a encontrar en este álbum, tralla directa, sin adornos ni parafernalias.
Para quien no conozca a la banda, decir que se creó en Jagodina, Serbia, en 2002, siendo en 2006 cuando lanzarían su debut, “Anger Will Remain”, aunque anteriormente habían editado las demos “Inquisition” (2003) y “Time To Die” (2005). La temática de sus canciones trata sobre la muerte, la guerra o el anti cristianismo.
Pero bueno, entremos en materia con este “Cold Blood War”. Una breve intro nos adentra en el infierno sonoro que se desata con “Destroyer Of Their Throne”, thrash metal puro y duro. Continúa la descarga con “Of Everlasting Hate” y “Kill Their Weakness”, ambas contienen altas dosis de muy mala leche y una base rítmica que, a título personal, me ha enamorado.
infest - cold blood war
El CD tiene momentos en los que la banda lleva el thrash a un más que contundente death metal, como ocurre en “Among The Fallen Ones”, tema que podría haber entrado perfectamente en discos como “Pleasure To Kill” de los alemanes Kreator.
“Demonic Wrath”, “Nuclear Warlust” y “Cold Blood War” siguen repartiendo tralla haciendo que casi te sientas obligado a realizar headbanging allá donde estés. Para finalizar nos encontramos con una genialidad llamada “Terror Lord”, grandioso fin de fiesta.
Los seguidores del thrash metal estamos de enhorabuena con este nuevo álbum de Infest, que contiene una experiencia corta pero intensa, algo que enamorará a muchos (entre los que me incluyo). ¡Recomendadísimo!
INFEST es un cuarteto que ejecuta un Death/Thrash Metal oriundo de Serbia. Este es su cuarto disco de estudio. A la "Reign In Blood" atacan en veintinueve minutos con pura agresividad y furia. Si bien se nota mucho la influencia de bandas como VADER (En la voz de Vandal, que toca guitarra también) por cierto tecnicismo en sus temas, la banda es un claro ejemplo de Death/Thrash ya que muchos riffs son decididamente Slayerescos. También hay un aire a lo Dark Angel por ciertos momentos hiperveloces ("Among The Fallen Ones"), en otros elaboran más ("Destroyer Of Their Throne"). Las guitarras son un incesante ataque furioso y el baterista "Zombie" mete palo y palo para que el torrente de lava volcánica no cese. Excelente producción y mezcla a cargo de Luka Matkovic la cual es decisiva para el producto final: un CD al grano y a tu yugular.
This is the fourth album from Serbian Death/Thrash Metal band Infest.
After a perfunctory intro the first track Destroyer of Their Throne starts up and I am momentarily confused – have I accidentally put on a Vader album instead of Infest? I over-exaggerate, (slightly), but the similarity, mainly in the vocal department, is startling.
Infest are not Vader clones of course. Musically they have other tricks up their collective sleeves and these conspire to create an enjoyable Metal experience lasting just under 30 minutes.
It’s an entertaining and speedy collection of Thrash-tinged Death Metal tracks that, yes, takes cues from Vader but also has some almost Hardcore influenced crossover riffs. I hear a bit of Pro-Pain to some of the chuggy guitars on occasion, as well as some Face Down-style Thrash and a bit of Malevolent Creation.
The production is strong and the bass is clear. The songs have a hard metallic sheen to them that accentuates their unyielding nature. They have a very immediate sound and always seem like they’re trying to get through the songs faster than they’re actually played, (if that makes any sense…?); there’s a sense of urgency to the album that gives it a vibrancy and life that some bands lack.
Good songs, good Metal. Hard, fast and straight to the point. I like.
Before writing this review, I had never heard of Infest but I’m glad I have heard of the Serbian death metallers now. This album is a brutal assault on the ears filled with crazy riffs and hypnotic beats capable of transfixing any listener into a frenzy.
The introduction to is atmospheric. It begins with the sound of a storm mixed with drums and gunshots. Then begins the ringing of church bells with the phrase “Holy Father, embrace me, save me.” Repeated until the climactic yell of “Rape me!” which immediately and effectively undermines the Christian overtones of the introduction and leads into the album.
The album begins with Destroyer of Their Throne which jumps straight in, unapologetically, to an energetic powerhouse of thrash. Zombi’s drumming is the first notable thing from it as he is absolutely ferocious. It’s a great track to listen to if, like me, you haven’t heard Infest before as it really shows what the band are about. The switch in pace at 2:07, where Zaelot’s excellent bass playing can be heard clearly, followed by the guitar solo from Glavoseča at 2:20 keep this track exciting and alive.
This is followed by Of Everlasting Hate which opens in a blaze of chunky guitars, incredibly quick drumming and interesting bass riffs. This song is filled with energy and game-changing break downs with such power and speed, it leaves me to conclude that the only reason for the break down and guitar solo from 1:48 is to give everyone a fighting chance to get their breath back before, once again, they throw themselves back into remorseless thrash. This track feels, to me, like a rollercoaster of metal and I love it.
Among the Fallen Ones is my favourite track from this album. I am a big fan of Vandal’s deep and powerful vocals and, for me; this is where they came to life. With a contrast of other higher voices Vandal’s vocals really stood out here. It would be an injustice to Vandal and Glavoseča’s guitar playing to only mention the vocals in this song as both do a great job on this track.
Compared to the rest of Cold Blood War, Demonic Wrath is slow. It moved at a much steadier pace without losing the integrity that the speed element has given the album until this point. Its solid beat and its slower solos are all building to the climax of this song which is the breakdown at 2:30 where the track shift into almost a battle cry which prompts, to me, the image of a crowd splitting in half and waiting for a command from Vandal to begin a pit. The conclusion of this breakdown is a surge in energy to bring Demonic Wrath to its powerful conclusion.
Terror Lord is another favourite of mine from this album. The vocals are excellent again, as are the other components, but what I really like about this track is the way it really captures the thrash metal feeling, particularly as it leads into the chorus. The old school sounding guitars mixed with a slightly (momentarily) more relaxed piece of drumming works brilliantly together.
I find it hard to review band sometimes as I can be very picky when it comes to vocals and bass. I like my death metal vocals to be sophisticated and guttural and I like my bass to be beefy and audible. This means that sometimes I can be very quick to dismiss bands that do not have these things. However, Infest offer me a plateau of brilliant vocals and bass lines for me to feast my ears on, making this album a great joy to listen to and to review.
I also loved the mix on this album. I’m a big fan of old school thrash and love nothing more than listening to thrash while driving on a summers day (although I should perhaps roll my windows up when stuck at Salisbury next to a car full of young children. Or turn it up louder…) ad so I love this mix on this album. It has an old school feel whilst the music itself sounds like contemporary death metal. A winning combination if ever I heard it.
Overall this is a great album if you like thrash and death metal. Every member is talented and they all clearly work well together. My only criticism of this album is that, at 29 minutes long, I was left wanting more!
Des pseudos caricaturaux, un nom partagé avec une bonne dizaine de formations (dont trois françaises), un clin d’œil au tube « Everlasting Love » via le titre « Of Everlasting Hate », Infest est-il le premier groupe de comiques Serbes ? Doit-on s’attendre à unThrash amusant tel que le pratique Tankard par exemple ? Pas vraiment. Ce Infest-là est une machine de guerre. Cold Blood War mixe sans pitié les influences d’un Slayer surpuissant, du Hard Core le plus violent avec quelques touches Death Métal pour un résultat hautement explosif.
Les dix titres déboulent systématiquement à cent à l’heure, on en prend vraiment plein la gueule pendant trente minutes, tellement que ça file le tournis. Il suffit d’écouter « Kill Their Weakness » pour bien comprendre qu’Infest n’est vraiment pas là pour rigoler et que leur vision de la guerre n’a rien de propre. C’est du Thrash ultra brutal comme on l’aime, bourré de rythmiques tranchantes, de blasts secs comme une trique, le tout porté par les beuglements vindicatifs de Zoran qui semble en avoir gros sur la patate. Cold Blood War est donc un disque furieux de A à Z qui transpire la colère et l’urgence. On a bien droit à quelques ralentissements (« Demonic Wrath ») mais c’est uniquement parce que la section rythmique balance des obus encore plus destructeurs.
Infest met la tête au carré. Sa recette est simple, parfaitement maîtrisée pour une grosse claque auditive.
Man redet immer wieder von exotischen Bands aus Südamerika oder Thailand oder so, aber aus Serbien sind mir auch nicht so viele bekannt. INFEST sind auch schon seit 2003 dabei und konnten 2006 ihr Debut herausbringen. Album Nummer vier erscheint bei XTREEM MUSIC, auch keine schlechte Wahl. Die Band rund um Mastermind Zoran “Vandal” Sokolovic hauen ein ordentliches Brett heraus. Songs wie “Destroyer of their throne” oder ” of everlasting throne” knallen ohne Ende, denn sie gehen sehr geil und steil ab. Schöne Mischung aus Death und Thrash. Immer Vollgas mit einigen Verschnaufspausen und echt guten Riffs und Refrainparsts. Geiles Ding, erinnert immer wieder an Demolation Hammer. So liebe ich die Mischung aus Death und Thrash. Kein langes rumgezappel. Nach vorne und weg. Dabei gehen sie nie stumpf zu Werke, sondern bauen gezielt und oft genug tragende und schleppende Parts mit ein, sowie beim doublebasslastigen und recht verspielten Song “Demonic Wrath”. Geht voll ab. Nach 2:30 min bietet man einen längeren Mitgröhlrefrainpart, um dann Gas zu geben und durchzudrehen. Der Song ist für INFEST Verhältnisse aber echt langsam, aber intensiv. Der Rest wird einen ordentlich vor den Latz geknallt, was willste mehr. Das Album hat mir heute definitiv den Tag versüßt. Wer auf straighten Death und Thrash abfährt, der sollte sich das Teil zulegen. Knaller!
Wake up in the early morning, take a pair of axes that have been honed yesterday from behind the bedroom door and put it behind the black jacket, bring all the hatred and anger while riding a motorcycle to attack our enemies and determined to cut off their heads and put it in a sack and bring it back home, that is the shades which we describe when we heard the fourth album titled ' Cold Blood War' from ' Infest ' which we thought was a band that most respected in Serbia for 12 years that remain consistent produces music that is filled with the aroma of rage inside the Arrogance of Death and thrash that balanced and intense. Fast Riffs which they play in this album really made us woke up to always excited while the aura of energy and full of aggressiveness that they make on this album is really impressive and far from boredom.
This of course is evident from the catchy music and always wanted to be heard over and over again, moreover, this album begins with two songs that bombard our emotions with nuances of anger and hatred entitled 'Destroyer of Their Throne' and 'Of Everlasting Hate'. Two songs that became our favorite of all the songs that we think is best because it has attractive and entertaining riffs. Tempo and guitar riffs that are very provocative and killing, really we enjoy and feel from these two songs.
The Rhythms which they played on this album from start to finish is indeed impressed cruel, quickly, loud and assertive without compromise and while maintaining the balance among beats and tempo from Death and thrash that intense and matched, make this album, we deem as the most memorable death thrash album in this year. This is absolutely reasoned, when we heard the next two songs called 'Kill Their Weakness' and 'Among the Fallen Ones'. These song really energized and kill, successfully created the feel of the anger when hearing the tones that they play and the main thing is when we look at the structure of the rhythm they play, this is very interesting and memorable to headbang.
From setting the tempo, Infest including the most solid, because besides remain true and consistent playing death thrash, this band also smart set the rhythm from the song structure contained in this album. Aggressiveness and filled with fast riffs really we can feel at the early four songs on this album, but when hearing a song called ' Demonic Wrath', Infest change their musical composition by applying a mid tempo and slightly change the nuance of anger that we get before being cold and quiet but still blasphemous.
The more aggressive and fast back again we enjoy in the next song entitled ' 'Nuclear Warlust' , 'Cold Blood War' and 'Terror Lord'. Beat by beat from drummer ' Zombie ' that very blasphemous combined with the vocal character by 'Vandel' that fast, aggressive and full of anger and also playing guitar , let alone with the character of guitar and bass riffs that very touching the emotions and really makes the wound in our body when hearing it from 'Tyrant ' and 'Warlust' complete for us to mention this album did really bring the cruel aroma and full of Emotions.
A last song that they give as a bonus track on the album entitled 'Neka Vatre Gore ' is a testament to how the band remains consistent and intense, plays death thrash riffs that very touching the soul and filled with the scent of anger, and at the same time proves that there is no doubt for this band , create music that really expressive and really create an atmosphere of high emotional . 'Infest' successfully give all that on this album. Cool.
Serbia isn’t a place I would usually look for when it comes to extreme Metal, but surely INFEST is a very heavy and angry band in every sense. Blasting Death Thrash for a little less than 30 min in “Cold Blood War”, INFEST is an interesting band with loads of experience behind them as this is their 4th full length album since their inception.
Starting off with a heavy atmospheric “Intro”, where the listener can hear some loud chanting of a religious man pleading the father of the church to save him. The band in doing so makes its lyrical content crystal clear that it’s mostly about anti-religious themes, but on a closer listen to the rest of the album, one can come across lyrics touching Death and war as well. From the next song the band pretty much ups the tempo and goes berserk and mayhem and shows shades of Brutal Death influence, while still keeping the music at large to Death Thrash boundaries. While it’s not entirely Brutal Death, the song slows down to mid tempo in the latter half bringing in more head bang-able riffs and also few cheesy guitar solos. On repeated listens of the rest of the album, I get a feeling that the band would sound more convincing in a live show than with a studio album, due to their sheer rawness of their music and the huge element of mosh-pit friendly music. While the vocals of Zoran “Vandal” Sokolovic (who also does the Rhythm Guitar work along with lead Guitars Tyrant) is mostly of thick screaming vocal style and remind me of the vocal style implemented by the band VADER, the riffs are thick and along with the fast blast beat drumming of Zombie make the album sound more Death metal-ish than anything of Thrash. The drums in “Cold Blood War” are loud and lead the give a free flow to the music and even makes the bass sound very interesting. While technically the each musician and the band as a whole do sound ordinary and mundane, but it’s the brutal drumming and occasional addictive riffs that are the trade mark of this album and is sure to please the connoisseurs of the above mentioned genres. “Demonic Wrath” has to be the most impressive song in this 10 track album, with its anthemic vocal screams and easy on the ears factor. The next 3 songs go back to their original style with the album, with the songs flirting on the lines of Brutal Death metal, still managing to sound Death Thrash with the occasional thick mid tempo riffs. The last song, weirdly named as “Neka Vatre Gore” is a bonus track and is surprisingly good even from the first listen. This is the only song giving you the old school feel due to the production and has the unique atmospheric feel even while the musicians go in full high tempo speed Death metal and reciprocating the old school feel that was intended.
While “Cold Blood War” is a good album, it’s not ground breaking by any means considering all the genres the band explores here. Nevertheless it should impress most Brutal Death fans, especially fans of VADER. Into their 12th year of existence INFEST shows a lot of maturity in the song writing and in bringing out interesting riffs, but does disappoint in some phases due to lack to innovative direction. While as mentioned above, the production and lyrics seem convincing, I get a feeling that the band can incorporate little more of atmospheric feel in their next album and also bring in more guttural vocals, as the vocals of Zoran “Vandal” Sokolovic here are not bad, but doesn’t have the teeth to rise the album to a level that the band might have intended to.
Infest se formaron en el 2003 en Jagodina, Serbia, con la idea de tocar Old-School Death/Thrash Metal. El concepto no ha cambiado y aquí los tenemos con su nuevo disco Cold Blood War, donde incluso hasta el sonido suena opaco como las grabaciones primigenias de aquel death y thrash de los 80.
La biografía de esta banda se centra en continuas entradas y salidas de miembros, lo que hecho que el grupo se sienta por momentos que va cuesta arriba. Aun así han logrado grabar una discografía bastante representativa de lo que han venido haciendo en poco más de una década de trabajo.
La música es death metal old school como ya decíamos con bastantes elementos de death metal brutal. Las canciones son directas y efectivas a ritmo acelerado como ocurre con “Among the Fallen Ones” y “Of Everlasting Hate”.
Hay momentos de algo más de densidad y sonido heavy como “Demonic Wrath” que se contraponen con otras canciones rayanas en el speed metal como “Nuclear Warlust”.
En cuanto a las letras, estas tratan sobre anti cristianismo, valorando esta corriente filosófica como una sucia influencia dentro de la historia de la humanidad. Sin embargo, no se decantan tampoco por la corriente que algunos creen opuesta, la del satanismo, ya que entienden que ambas son dos alas de la misma ideología.
Es un disco para amantes del death metal y el thrash mas violento. No hay matices en las composiciones de Infest, esto es sonido extremo puro y duro de principio a fin.
Auch der neueste Streich der serbischen Death/Thrasher von INFEST kann zu 100% überzeugen. Wie schon beim 2009er „Onward to Destroy“-Release, als auch dem zwei Jahre später folgenden „Everlasting Genocide“, bolzen die Vier aus Jagodina in bester DEMOLITION HAMMER und/oder MALEVOLENT CREATION-Manier durch ihren Longplayer und überzeugen nicht nur mit intelligent eingebauten Mid-Tempo-Passagen, sondern hauptsächlich dann, wenn sie so richtig ungezwungen Vollgas geben.
Dabei hat Mastermind, Gitarrist und Sänger in Personalunion Zoran "Vandal" Sokolović seit dem „Onward“-Scheibchen 50% seiner Mannschaft ausgetauscht, der musikalischen Qualität hat diese Blutauffrischung allerdings in keiner Weise geschadet. Vandal baut noch immer (bewusst?) diverse CARNIVORE-Zitate („Kill Their Weakness“) in seine ansonsten abgrundtief von Hass erfüllten Vocals ein und auch produktionstechnisch donnert „Cold Blood War“ mehr als satt aus den Boxen. Das tut Songs wie dem furiosen, mit einem wirklich superben Refrain flankierten „Destroyer Of Their Throne“ oder dem leicht verspielten, aber dennoch immer wieder hyperschnellen und zudem erneut im CARNIVORE-Fahrwasser dahinschippernden „Demonic Wrath“ ungemein gut und untermauert die Tatsache, dass INFEST im Bereich des heftig-deftigen Death/Thrash-Metal durchaus als ernstzunehmende Alternative angesehen werden müssen.
As I prepped for this review, I came to the realization of just how many bands there are that have used the name Infest. The two I am most familiar with are the influential powerviolence band from the US and the French death metal/grindcore band that released Moshroom a few years back. A quick Metal Archives search reveals there are plenty more acts that have either used or are still using the name, including Serbian death metal/thrash band Infest who is the subject of this article. They’ve been around since 2002 and this year’s Cold Blood War is their fourth full length. This is the first time I had come across their material, and it offers a familiar blend of fast paced riffs and gruff vocals. It may not be the type of album that’s going to stand out as one of the best things you’ll hear this year, but if you’re in the mood for material that doesn’t let up and isn’t weighed down with pointless filler this one is worth a go.
Following a very short intro track, Infest launches into fast paced, heavy hitting riffs and doesn’t let up until the album has come to an end. One area where the group definitely deserves credit is in their ability to offer technically proficient arrangements that don’t overstay their welcome, as the majority of the tracks hit the two to three minute mark. There’s no time for interludes or filler, as the instrumentalists instead focus on the meat of the material and throw riff after riff at the listener with some well-placed solos added into the mix. I’d say that Cold Blood War skews a little more towards the thrash side as they have that similar emphasis on speed and pull from some similar patterns as some of the classic bands in the genre, but there are moments where the tonality shifts toward a heavier death metal sound. Everything is performed well and with a great deal of precision, but the biggest issue with Infest’s material is that there aren’t quite enough moments that truly stand out from each other. It’s a rager from beginning to end which is why I’ve found myself coming back for repeat listens, but there aren’t quite enough individual riffs that truly stood out from the rest and that’s what kept this album from reaching its true potential.
Vocalist Zoran “Vandal” Sokolovic has the type of low pitched growl that I really like in fast paced death/thrash. Rather than going for a guttural growl, he has a much gruffer growl/scream that is enunciated in a way that makes it easy to pick out the lyrical content. It’s the type of pitch that comes blaring out of your speakers with the maximum of aggression, and Sokolovic doesn’t let up for a single second of Cold Blood War’s running time. His performance is one of my favorite elements of Infest’s material, as it’s consistently intense and in your face without becoming repetitive and I can always appreciate when the vocal work is rough but still easy to understand.
Some of the songs do blend together a bit and keep Cold Blood War from being one of the best examples of the death metal/thrash combination you’ll hear this year, but it’s definitely an above average one. If you’re in the mood for an album that will throw plenty of speed and aggression at you this one is still worth giving a listen, but I can’t help but feel that with a few more steps forward Infest could come back as a truly distinguishable band.
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