This is the sixth album from German solo black metal band Infestus.
Has it really been ten years since 2014’s The Reflecting Void? I really liked that record. With only one album since then – 2018’s Thrypsis, which I somehow missed – I’ve been looking forward to exploring the 46-minute Entzweiung.
In essence, Entzweiung is a modern black metal album that merges together aspects of the melodic, progressive, and post-black metal styles. However, this simplistic description, although apt, doesn’t really do justice to Entzweiung‘s impact. From the very start it’s a striking record that seethes with potent emotional weight. Even the inclusion of an intro track can’t hold the record back, as this is a dark and moody scene-setter, a brief moment of reflection before the absolutely electrifying Dead Inside.
Entzweiung is an album that’s all about its emotive presence. It feels like the artist behind Infestus has injected every part of himself into this music. It’s black metal, but of a deeply personal, intimate, and meaningful kind. Even when it rages with blistering aggression it’s still focused on feeling, rather than blackened brutality for the sake of it.
The music journeys between venomous rage and delicate introspection, and within this creates worlds the likes of which you rarely get to see. The songs are textured and well-performed, delivering expressive soundscapes that the artist expertly travels through. The listener follows, rapt, as the dark brooding vistas are revealed. Entzweiung is an immersive experience with a lot to take in across its running time, and it pays to visit its shores as many times as possible.
Entzweiung is a strong return from Infestus, and a reminder that I should really check out Thrypsis too. Regardless, Entzweiung is a quality record through and through. It’s a richly multifaceted black metal release, one that by all rights would see Infestus become far greater in stature. Either way, Entzweiung is an essential listen for any fan of sophisticated individualistic black metal art.
Wonderbox Metal 