Infinitum Obscure - Sub Aetris Caelis
Infinitum Obscure deliver their second album, Sub Aetris Caelis, in 2009 since their debut from 2006. The band still performs blackened metal with a few atmospheric elements, and it still is a swift kick to the ass. But, mainly that swift kick in the ass on this particular album lies in their ability to decieve with sound. The opening track is progressive, switching between black metal fury and soft, distorted string pickings. Then, the black metal vibes of "Seeding Darkness" kick in and there's no remorse. No let up. It just keeps hammering and hammering with the fury of the earlier 1349 albums. The music has a strong resemblence to Darkthrone in the sense of how the vocals snarl, the riffs crusted over with a catchy punk influence, and the drums trying to create melody rather than just beact incessantly against the winds, so to quote from a Judas Iscariot song title. Most fans of what can be called 'kvlt black metal' or 'groove black metal' will find a liking to this album; symphonic and atmospheric/ ambient black metal fans might find it a little too gritty or relentless.
However, Sub Aetris Caelis isn't all about being blisteringly fast. There's a few tracks such as"Adventure Mortis" and "Infinite Silence" where the music takes a drastic turn for the atmospheric best and sounds nothing like any of the black metal infected songs the album has to offer. "Adventure Mortis" is simply a piano melody; out of place and creepy. A nice break from any skull fracture the headbanging of the previous track, "Towards the Eternal Dark," might have induced. It's not fast at all, but very, very slow and meant to make the skin on the back of your neck stand it. Fans with either dismiss it or appreciate it for the short minute the performance is given. The other album breaker, the final track "Infinite Silence," sounds more like it belongs on an Agalloch album than something by Infinitum Obscure. It is comprised of an acoustic guitar and whispered vocals, which sound very ethreal because they are in the background. Again, not what you would expect from a band who just made ears bleed for eighty percent of the album.
Obviously, Sub Aetris Caelis is a demonstration that Infinitum Obscure is capable of going in multiple directions. We have the fast, hard, heavy stuff tha can be melodically punk at times, and we have the completely non-metal stuff that is beautifully atmospheric. Perhaps in the future the band will try to merge the two together to create a seamless blend of atmospheric black metal, either bringing together or dividing fans of both sounds. But hey, one of their main influences, 1349, has done something similar by turning to the ambiant side versus being all fury and no beauty. It would not surprise me if Infinitum Obscure did the same.
However, Sub Aetris Caelis isn't all about being blisteringly fast. There's a few tracks such as"Adventure Mortis" and "Infinite Silence" where the music takes a drastic turn for the atmospheric best and sounds nothing like any of the black metal infected songs the album has to offer. "Adventure Mortis" is simply a piano melody; out of place and creepy. A nice break from any skull fracture the headbanging of the previous track, "Towards the Eternal Dark," might have induced. It's not fast at all, but very, very slow and meant to make the skin on the back of your neck stand it. Fans with either dismiss it or appreciate it for the short minute the performance is given. The other album breaker, the final track "Infinite Silence," sounds more like it belongs on an Agalloch album than something by Infinitum Obscure. It is comprised of an acoustic guitar and whispered vocals, which sound very ethreal because they are in the background. Again, not what you would expect from a band who just made ears bleed for eighty percent of the album.
Obviously, Sub Aetris Caelis is a demonstration that Infinitum Obscure is capable of going in multiple directions. We have the fast, hard, heavy stuff tha can be melodically punk at times, and we have the completely non-metal stuff that is beautifully atmospheric. Perhaps in the future the band will try to merge the two together to create a seamless blend of atmospheric black metal, either bringing together or dividing fans of both sounds. But hey, one of their main influences, 1349, has done something similar by turning to the ambiant side versus being all fury and no beauty. It would not surprise me if Infinitum Obscure did the same.