INFINITUM OBSCURE – Sub Atris Caelis CD
Deathgasm Records
One of the many great things about Extreme Metal is how bands can come out of the most unique of places and create music that sounds cold, cruel and grim as if it were from a more traditional place which people refer to more often. This band hails from Mexifornia, (aka: Tijuana, Mexico & Baja, California) but after one listen I would’ve thought Sweden since they’ve got alot of DISSECTION influence going for them. Hey just look at the CD cover artwork by Timo Ketola of black hooded figure holding a scythe and ask yourself does it look familiar? You could also look to them having Bill Metoyer, who’s worked with SLAYER, MORBID ANGEL, etc, as the recording engineer as well as Necromorbus Studios genius Tore Stjerna behind the mastering work as in some way influential greatness or maybe just ironic. Either way INFINITUM OBSCURE have come riding out of a cold desert night to wreak fuckin havoc with their brand of Blackened Death.
This is my first time hearing INFINITUM OBSCURE although they’ve been around since 2000 and have released previous material including a full length Internal Dark Force in 2006 on the Utterly Somber Creations label. One thing that’s been a constant in their history is mainman Roberto Lizarraga. This guy goes through band members like I go through light bulbs. INFINITUM OBSCURE is his vision so he handles the vocals, lead & acoustic guitars, bass and piano. Yeah there are other musicians on this release and I believe he has others as part of his touring band. There’s another reference to the spirit of Jon Nodtveidt lurking in the background which just pushes this thing further into the uncanny and ironic department. I guess the only thing that’s not part of the “holy shit” arena when it comes to this release is that it’s on the uber cool underground label extraordinaire Deathgasm Records.
Sub Atris Caelis is an exceptional release since it pushes a decent balance between the melodic Death Metal atmosphere and the ferocious harsh pounding of Black Metal. It’s a beautiful atrocity put to music like being slashed with a sharp blade. Instead of worrying about the pain and eventual death you’re mesmerized by the way your blood runs out across your flesh. Brutality and melody are in a death like embrace as the music dances along a line of varied intensity as well as aggression. Roberto Lizarraga’s vocals are amazingly in the same vein of the music. You’ve got your death growls and harsh blackened vocals which for me is pure entertainment value. Notice that I’m not pushing individual songs because this release needs to be taken as a whole. Drop this into your stereo push play and wait as this thing takes you screaming into a vortex of pain, renewal, hatred, anguish, power and of course destruction of the so-called supreme.
I must admit my bias and that is when it comes to the genre of Death Metal I like the older bands as well as newer bands recreating that style. Follow that up with Blackened Death metal which I definitely lean more towards and it’s easy to see why I’d be an over the top fan of INFINITUM OBSCURE and what they’ve produced with Sub Atris Caelis. But obviously what’s on here is something which I will say could be this band’s The Somberlain. I know I’m guilty of intentional hyperbole once in a great while just to piss some people off. With that said here we have something worthy of greatness as well as my tendency for hyperbole. Roberto Lizarraga even includes two interludes, one acoustic and the other featuring a piano interlude, in order not to fill holes but to enhance what has preceded and prepare for the crushing blow. Yeah this is good.
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