Here we have some Scottish Black Metal; Ifrinn’s début release.
This is raw Black Metal that nonetheless doesn’t restrict itself to the generic, Darkthrone-esque classic style, as many bands of this nature do. The album cover should give some mysterious clues away; this is music that mixes in the esoteric and occult into its vicious, spite-filled delivery.
After a dark and menacing ambient intro track, the music soon reveals itself to be equally dark and menacing, albeit also layered in distortion, speed and hateful invective. Ifrinn embrace the core nature of Black Metal and turn its simplistic pleasures to their advantage, wallowing in their self-generated atmospheric and moody soundscapes.
The music is darkly spirited and the songs wallow in the mysterious, otherworldly ambience that they create. The third track, (Sulphurous Oscillations), is another mood-piece, reinforcing the feeling of something strange and unsettling going on.
We end with a final song that shows a good grasp of bleak melodics and primitive auras, showing the mastery of shaded blackness that the guitars in particular employ .
Screamed vocals that frequently turn into agonised groans are a tortured accompaniment to these tracks, fixating in the listener’s mind the idea of something unhinged and tormented, barely concealed beneath the surface of the reality that the music allows you to glimpse.
This is a quality release. The music has an atavistic atmosphere that is a joy to revel in, without the emotive content becoming maudlin or stale; it’s warm enough to be inviting and cold enough to be strong and unforgiving.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 