Review by Vladimir on August 21, 2024.

Whenever someone recommends a death metal album to check out, I am always met with a dose of skepticism due to the fact that you really never know what you’re going to end up with, whether it is something for everyone or something that will appeal to those who prefer the old stuff. However in this case I was pleasantly surprised, because I had the pleasure of checking out the French death metal band Infern, with their debut album Turn Of The Tide which is due to be released on October 4th, 2024 via Dolorem Records. If you want to follow this march of the crab, then let’s get right into it.

Now that Turn Of The Tide comes breaking us down, this lethal strike brings very misanthropic and hateful death metal with extremely tight riffing with dry blood-curdling guttural vocals and double-bass drumming, with its dark output and feel that's highly reminiscent of classic late 80's/early 90's death metal acts such as Bolt Thrower, Asphyx and Autopsy. From the very get-go, Infern instantly establishes the intimidating mood and grotesque nature of the album with their bone-crushing performance full of anger and testosterone, and along the way they manage to keep it constant and heavy. You will encounter plenty of slow and brutal songs that express intense heaviness and a wicked horrific atmosphere, with occasional death-thrashing moments that come charging like troops on the battlefield. Although many death metal albums tend to keep their songs on an even level of heaviness and brutality, Infern does the opposite by taking this experience even further as the album progresses, presenting even more extravaganza you to behold and enjoy, especially with solid examples such as 'March Of The Grotesque'. Considering that there is a great sense of familiarity within the band's musical output, it's very easy to get immediately hooked into Turn Of The Tide, especially if you are a very big fan of these aforementioned old-school death metal bands. If you really absorb the essence of Infern's music, you might be even surprised to the point where you hardly believe that this is a contemporary band that revives and relives the days of old, and all of that without heavily relying on replicating the sound and the style for the sake of pleasing. This album gives such a nice throwback to the period when I was so much into Bolt Thrower's "War Master" and Autopsy's "Severed Survival", that it pretty much presents itself as a love letter to these extreme classics which still rule after 3 decades, and I can already see people appreciating Turn Of The Tide for these exact same reasons.

The songwriting on Turn Of The Tide is fairly simple and standard as with many other death metal bands, with plenty of tempo changes and rich song structures that still keep everything strong and interesting even on the second half. Although I had a slight feeling that Infern were incorporating template-based songwriting to maintain the stylistic consistency of the album, it still doesn't make everything feel too similar or one-dimensional, due to the dynamic riff work and frequent tempo changes that play a significant role in their music. The highlight of this album apart from its intense and tight performance is the atmosphere, which gives a strong feeling of impending doom that lurks like a beast in the dark, striking hard and wild when Infern goes absolutely berserk. In all honesty, I can already tell you that if you came here looking for innovation and variety, if you are the type of person who is looking for a needle in a haystack, then you have come to the wrong place. However, if you are like me, a very simple man who is looking for something to blast out at max volume and enjoy it for what it is, then you have come to the right place. Infern’s music is made for loyal fans of old-school dark and horrific death metal, and they do a great deal of justice by staying faithful to their roots and putting a lot of effort into making it ideal for anyone who isn’t pretentious or fancy for this kind of stuff. If you think about how death metal has evolved as a subgenre and about the current state of death metal in the modern world, I think it’s all just a matter of personal preference and what you desire, so this is made for anyone who appreciates simplicity in death metal as opposed to a technicality, brutal slamming or whatever one comes looking for these days. Even though I have already said that this album is very reminiscent of late ’80s/early 90’s death metal albums, the album production is still modern with its overall freshness in the final output, but it still manages to sound old-school and very faithful as a matter of fact.

Personally, Turn Of The Tide wins a lot of points for hitting the right pitch with its berserk quality and wild performance that stays strong throughout the entire album. Infern’s debut album is a real treat from start to finish, and an enjoyable death metal record worth checking out for anyone who is into all the highly influential classic acts.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10