Infernus — Grinding Christian Flesh

I love bands that can release material with titles like Grinding Christian Flesh with a straight face. Uncouth black-thrashing maniacs Infernus are of this special breed. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Infernus just recently released their second album through Moribund under the moniker Grinding Christian Flesh, a 40 minute barrage on all that is holy. Previously unbeknownst to me, this blasphemous outfit has left an impression far greater than most black/thrash groups. Refusing to lean on tired, recycled riffs, these Americans have forged a strong blade, poised to spear the heart of any Christian foolish enough to stand in their way.

A pitfall that many black/thrash acts stumble into is a refusal to even consider playing anything other than a rehash of Venom/Bathory riffs. And Satan knows the world needs another insipid black/thrash group as much as it needs another orthodox black metal band. Infernus deftly walks a narrow path, flirting with these elements without succumbing to them. As a black/thrash band, you’d expect a number of filthy neck-breakers like “Whore of Crist” or “Verminnihilation”, which Grinding Christian Flesh delivers in spades. And then there are tons of unrelenting riffs that recall Bathory , Venom, Slayer, or Nifelheim, ready to tear off your head without a second’s notice, sprinkled liberally throughout the album. Indeed, it would be fair to say that this forms the backbone of Infernus’s sound, bringing about a cheap-beer induced nuclear holocaust.

But Infernus doesn’t fully commit to this sound. While the bullet belts and cheap booze are central to Grinding Christian Flesh, there are many moments where the band breaks away from the clichés and embraces other influences. Tracks like “Grinding Christian Flesh” and “Sodomfest” use vicious, throat-slashing, grinding tremolos in the vein of Anaal Nathrakh or Goatpenis, elevating the tracks’ intensity to a frenzied, dangerous peak. “Worms of the Casket” has a main melodic riff full of equal measures scorn and price recalling Dissection, and “Candles, Horns and Tongues” has another Dissection-like moment during the magnificent blackened neoclassical flourish. And yet other songs like “Pagan Warfront” draw upon the more violent side of Swedish black metal, harkening to Marduk or Dark Funeral with aggressive tremolo riffs and blast beats firing like cannons. All in all, it’s an impressive mixture of melody and violence, with much more emphasis on violence.

You could conceivably make the case for Infernus not being very original, but if that’s the criticism you intend to level at this barbarous horde, you’re a twat who clearly missed the point. At no point where these Americans sitting around saying “You know what really needs to updated? Blackened thrash metal!” These guys are all about hailing Satan, and making some well-oiled, poser-slaying metal. While the origins of the music had been laid down long before, Grinding Christian Flesh is unusually compelling due to the sheer spirit and energy imbued in every detail. From the free riffs to the hellfire spewing vocals to the thundering drums, this is an album all about playing metal and playing it right. What’s not to love about that? Oh, and I bet they’re a blast live, too.