Genre: Black Metal
Infèren, active since 2011 in the province of Bergamo, have finally reached the milestone of their second full-length album after a troubled history marked by numerous lineup changes. While their early days were marked by admiration for Dissection-inspired Swedish melodic black metal, the band's evolution—which now features drummer Schins as the sole original member—has led the project toward decidedly more personal and conceptual shores.
After participating in the split album "Teschi Ossa Morte" (2018), the band abandoned live performances to focus on creating an ambitious work. The result is "Tanatologie," a self-produced album released in April 2026, marking a clear departure from the past in favor of a cultured and multilingual lyrical exploration.
The beating heart of Tanatologie is its lyrics. Vocalist C. Turra Caini guides the listener on a diachronic and geographical journey into the concept of the end. Death is not simply an aesthetic fetish here, but is explored as a "crisis of presence": from the Egyptian psychostasis of "L’Ultimo Giudizio" to the Virgilian descent into hell of "Descensio ad Inferos," passing through the bloody colonialism of "Al di là del Mare" and the drama of the Alpine front in "La Grande Fuga" (featuring Aren of Xpus).
The use of Italian vocals, enriched with inserts in Latin, Greek, Spanish, and even Lombard dialect, gives the work a ritualistic and authentic aura, culminating in the social critique of the closing "Tempo Sprecato," where death is stripped of its sacredness to become an aseptic and medicalized process.
Sonically, the album opens with a medieval-tinged intro and guitars clearly inspired by folk/black metal. The sound is deliberately raw, with vocals that often favor a narrative dimension over traditional screaming.
The vocal work is very interesting, alternating acid registers with more rowy and profound moments, at times recalling the style of the Italian band Imago Mortis. Tracks like "Dio della Strage" and "Descensio ad Inferos" are convincing with their rhythmic and direct riffs, devoid of melody. The technical gamble on "Volti di Pietra" is noteworthy, featuring slap bass inserts, a rarity in the Black Metal scene that adds a touch of originality. The track "La Grande Fuga" is particularly evocative, especially in the slower passages where the band seems to thrive.
Despite the depth of the content, the performance has some shortcomings. The production sometimes appears unbalanced: the drum machine volumes are excessive, ultimately overwhelming the guitar work and flattening the overall dynamics. Furthermore, the songwriting suffers from a certain repetitiveness; the vocals tend to follow the guitars' melodic lines too closely, creating structures that, over time, lack meaningful peaks or variations.
Tanatologie is a good album but still immature. Infèren demonstrate above-average intellectual maturity, offering fresh perspectives on classic themes of the genre, but they still need to refine their songwriting and sound. There's still plenty of room for growth.
S.A.M.A.
