If it has black and red cover art, I’m listening.
So, that leads us here.
A few weeks ago, I saw a little promo drop in my email inbox from the fine folks at Sentient Ruin, one of my favorite labels in the game. If you’re unfamiliar with this San Francisco-based entity, stroll through the Metal Archives and indulge in an absolutely bludgeoning run of releases. While the latter days of the calendar year are notoriously limited in terms of new music—mainly because labels are fighting for a spot on my Album of the Year list (I’m joking!)—a few treasures pop up from time to time. It just so happens that the latest The Mosaic Window full-length, which I recently reviewed, the new Opeth, and now this debut Infernalivm MLP, Conquering the Most High, have arrived in the 11th hour of 2024.
From the get-go on the opener and title track, blazing tremolos and guttural vocals ignite for what sounds like a mashup of Close to a World Below and Here In After-era Immo with a dash of Morbid Angel’s Gateways to Annihilation<. There's a grandiose sound here that echoes that of their predecessors. Production-wise, there’s thickness built upon the louder mixing of the rhythm section, just like you’d find on those aforementioned ’90s death metal records. There are some nice pinch harmonics incorporated throughout that add a nasty layer to “Conquering the Most High,” similar to a “Nailed to Gold” or “Father, You’re Not a Father.”
Infernalivm comes from the school of Robert Vigna, relying on dissonant moments and riffs that thrive when merging with the bass and drums. You’ll hear more of that influence on “Temple of a Destroying Sun,” marked by some slower broken chord breaks before diving back headfirst into flesh-boiling riffs, and what I think stands out abundantly clear is that the band is more so focused on creating an unnerving atmosphere rather than displaying a technical expertise. Of course, the technicality is there, but it’s all done for the sake of grimness or perhaps conjuring up the spawn of Satan himself. As I continue to listen to Conquering the Most High, it becomes more apparent with each spin that it’s just as shred-ripping as the Adversarial album from earlier this year, Solitude with the Eternal, or Vile Ritual’s 2023 release, Caverns of Occultic Hatred—absolutely bulldozing stuff.
Across Conquering the Most High’s four offerings, there really isn’t much time for respite. “Ashes of the Saints” displays some of the best work behind the kit, interweaving superb fills and earth-moving double bass. “Ashes…” is also probably the most war metal-influenced track on the record. It doesn’t stray too far from something you might hear on an Antichrist Siege Machine record. The MLP rounds out with a not-so-subtle nod to Morbid Angel’s “Maze of Torment“ with “The Maze of Havoc.“ In Conquering the Most High’s most versatile offering, Infernalivm incorporates some tempo shifts and memorable final riffs. I counted three in the remaining minutes, probably ranking in the top five across the entire MLP.
As you’ve probably gathered, Infernalivm’s debut release is a pummeling, grand ol’ time. While it isn’t anything you haven’t heard before, the true essence of the record lies within how authentic everything comes across. The music and energy are as wicked as the art itself, which is always a promising sign. You’ll thoroughly enjoy Conquering the Most High if you love grimy, menacing, dark death metal. And assuming this is a sample size of what’s to come, I’m all ears for the pending full-length.
Sentient Ruin: you never let me down.
