Review
Infera Bruo
In Conjuration

I came across Infera Bruo a couple of years back when they were releasing their debut album, Desolate Unknown. The perspective of the band on the black metal genre was intriguing, remaining true to the roots of the genre, but also building on top of its traditional outlook. The dissonant quality was overflowing in the record, while the inclusion of synths and effects to their fiery compositions was a solid combination. Couple of years later, and Infera Bruo are putting out their sophomore album, In Conjuration. This time around, it is not an independent release, with the record coming out from Bindrune Recordings, home of other great extreme metal acts, such as Panopticon, Seidr and Blood of the Black Owl. At least that seems to be settled because listening to Infera Bruo it seemed insane that they did not have a label at the time Desolate Unknown was out.

In Conjuration presents a similar outlook that was first revealed in Desolate Unknown. One of the bigger steps that the band has taken comes in the production of the album. Even though Desolate Unknown had a production that was suitable for the sound of the band, with In Conjuration they really step up their game. The sound of the album is fuller and everything seems to be more well defined compared to their debut record.

In terms of the music, the band is reaping what they had sowed in Desolate Unknown. The black metal basis is astounding in this case, with the traditional black metal riffology numerous times at the forefront. The dark and relentless vibe that the band is able to transmit derives from their ominous view on the scene, with straightforward assaults, as is the case with parts of “Astrogenesis,” to bitter offerings, as in “Formless.” The bands though further extends its black metal outlook, bringing forth more thrashy parts, with “Send My Ashes North,” even though tampering with the tempo of the song to not give that typical black/thrash vibe.

But then you also find moments where you start to get glimpses of what lies within the core of Infera Bruo. Despite their overall sonic assault, the music is not devoid of melodies, and the band definitely knows how to make great use of them. The opening song is such an example, and not just from its clean guitar parts, but there are certain well placed hooks, which see Infera Bruo reaching for an early melodic black metal aura, reminiscent of the early works of Dissection. But these melodies do not always appear as straightforward. For instance, the build-up in “Formless” has an underlying melodic quality about it, which is not on the forefront of the music, but lies deeper within. And then there is the case with the more hypnotic melodies, as happens in the last couple of minutes of “Send My Ashes North.”

The dissonant self of the band is as powerful and impactful as it was in Desolate Unknown. A listen to “The Silence Enfleshed” will give you a good idea of the primal Voivod-ian influence that lies within Infera Bruo. The lead work underneath the main theme add greatly to the poisonous notion of the band. There is a multitude of instances where Infera Bruo let their venom loose. The slithering parts of the title track are such an occurrence, as is the guitar parts that they unleash in “Send My Ashes North” with the slow pace really adding to the suffocating feeling of the track. Even the shortest track of the album, “Vessel of the Void” sinks its venomous fangs deep within the core of the track.

The album in its majority encompass a fiery attitude, with the first six songs of the record being a testament to that. The insane leads and the cut-throat vocals add to this side of Infera Bruo, creating a very aggressive and thunderous offering. The dissonant quality is spread magnificently in the record, and the inclusion of synths and effects raise the bar higher. From the creation of devouring mouths through effects in the opening song, to the trippy quality of the background in “Vessel of The Void” and the disorienting instances of “The Silence Enfleshed,” their inclusion is key on the record.

Still, from the end of the title track, that fiery attitude gives place to a much more detached, more majestic quality. The ending of “In Conjuration” finds the band with more of cold a radiance than their usual blazing quality. That washes over the final track of the album, “Two of the Seven” which aided by the frozen aura, mid-tempo pace and the slow unfolding of the track, acquires a towering, much more imposing personification for Infera Bruo. The heavier riffs near the end are trampling what the band has been building and the clean vocals give an impressive performance, leading to quite mind bending situations.

In Conjuration sees Infera Bruo building on what their debut album had solidified. Their steady perspective on black metal and their experimental quality combine to bring forth another great album.