Infernal War may not be the first band to come up in the conversation of Polish Black Metal but for me, I think they should. Not only is ‘Terrorfront’ a unique record within the band’s country and their scene but it is my favorite Black Metal album from Poland. The gang of the original acts such as Graveland, Veles, Fullmoon and even Infernum deserve their followers as much as anyone else within their particular community but ‘Terrorfront’ goes above and beyond if anything. Not only do the instrumentals of the album not only have a firm reliance on tightness in terms of performance but are incredibly memorable with all types of standout moments and incredibly powerful and well written Black Metal that could be simply described as a mixture of Angelcorpse, Marduk and Antaeus. Instead of being a band the focuses on the atmospheric sound of things such as the aforementioned bands like Graveland and Veles but Infernal War is pissed off and furious in both performance and energy.
The overall architecture of the album is blazing fast tempos with solos that could be heard from an album like ‘Covenant’. However the arrangements include sections that are groovy, bouncy and even dissonant. This gives a clear indication that despite the album is largely made up of a consistent pacing, the overall way the album is built is around that by developing its identity around different variations of the satanic hymns this band churns out. A lot of said arrangements are often pushed to their limits by the bassist Krzysztof Michalak aka Godcrusher and drummer Paweł Pietrzak aka Stormblast. Both not only have their own insights to their instruments but further develop the insanity and intense nature of mean chromatic riffing at hand. Godcrusher will often play a melody in the scale key as the riffs at hand and counteract by playing a different melody or like on songs such as ‘Salvation’ and ‘Crush the Tribe of Jesus Christ’ and plays the exact same melody but in different scales after each repetition or give the riffs at hand a bit of a boost to enhance the rhythm presented.
To add to this Stormblast is a beast behind the kit. Not only is his speed ability incredible but his way around fills and best transitions is great as well. I will say that aside from Behemoth’s drummer Inferno, Stormblast is my favorite drummer from Polish Black and Death Metal. Darkside from Mgła and Kriegsmachine is another great mention as well. Not only does he have his own style like those two but the way he writes and places his drum patterns makes the music much more intense and engaging as a whole. Even during the slower paced moments, the flexibility of his style allows him to go from near impossibly fast blast beats into a fill that lands on a rhythm that you can argue is very similar to a Rock ‘n’ Roll vibe. Parts like this not only give the album a certain level of charm but it gives it more character and depth than it already had.
While this band might have garnered controversy over the past couple of years or so, this album and even some of their other works is a testament to their commitment and unparalleled sound. Not only does it have some of the most technically demanding rhythm sections in Black Metal but the riffs are deeply satisfying and rooted in fairly familiar influences but also stands out from the rest by changing up their presentation a little bit. Even if they aren’t as influential as some of the early Polish Black Metal bands, they will always certainly be and are just as effective.
