InThyFlesh - Claustrophobia
InThyFlesh is a black metal band from Portugal that has been through the lineup change mill for quite a few albums now. At this point, with full length album no. 3 under their belt, the band has trimmed down to only two members: Tarannis on guitars and original vocalist Sataere. There are sessions drums involved as well from an unnamed member, but InThyFlesh try to keep a certain amount of mysticism involved with their work. One things fans will notice is all the work is in Portugese, so translation of the lyrics will be required for those who do not speak the language. The music is black metal, but it is the kind that just feels like it is done right. There is just the right atmosphere of haziness when it comes to a track like "Da Nossa Carne," which kicks things off in full gear much in the way a Dark Funeral album would with little regard for much melody and avant garde moments; this is pure, shredding 90s black metal with a touch of haze to shroud everything in distortion, even the vocals which have a whispering hiss to them. However, everything is heard clearly enough without any bit of the wall of sound getting in the way.
'Claustrophobia,' as the album name implies, is also about trying to trap its listeners in a thick fog, much along the lines of depressive metal, and sometimes that requires melody that is unexpected. Some of the other tracks like "Alvoroco De Antecipacao" feature some melodic rhythms that are opposite of the blistering tremolo picking and just slice right along with the same, hauntingly emotional terror without forsaking any of the dark, evil parts for one to think that InThyFlesh has gone soft. While here also the vocals tend to just shriek rather than convey much in the way of lyrics, the entire track carries more emotional weight than all the other ones. There are even some spoken word samples included to help with the atmosphere, but it doesn't help that much because the guitars tend to be a bit louder. There is also a bit of a nudge towards Darkthrone and Khold with the instrumental "Enfirmidade Delirante" which is brief, but has a black n' roll edge to it that is mostly guitar based, but serves as an intriguing, if not odd, interlude for the album. By track five listeners will have felt either depressed or unnerved by the music and suddenly this rock oriented track pops up and everything changes... for a little bit.
While some might argue that InThyFlesh do better with more members than just two, compared to their last two releases, 'Claustrophobia' stacks up nicely as a solid, well rounded piece of black metal. The songs are lengthy (but not too long) and the production is raw but not so raw it feels like a repetitve early Xasthur album where almost nothing can be heard. While the instrumentation is somewhat limited as far as the music just being based on vocals, guitars, bass, and drum (no keyboards, no orchestras, no female vocals like many of the more modern black metal bands like to use) InThyFlesh make excellent use of these instruments to create the most power, minimalistic effort possible. Those who prefer older black metal with intriguing lyrics that border gothic-doom and haunting rhythms that are played at top speed will probably find this release worth a spin or two.
'Claustrophobia,' as the album name implies, is also about trying to trap its listeners in a thick fog, much along the lines of depressive metal, and sometimes that requires melody that is unexpected. Some of the other tracks like "Alvoroco De Antecipacao" feature some melodic rhythms that are opposite of the blistering tremolo picking and just slice right along with the same, hauntingly emotional terror without forsaking any of the dark, evil parts for one to think that InThyFlesh has gone soft. While here also the vocals tend to just shriek rather than convey much in the way of lyrics, the entire track carries more emotional weight than all the other ones. There are even some spoken word samples included to help with the atmosphere, but it doesn't help that much because the guitars tend to be a bit louder. There is also a bit of a nudge towards Darkthrone and Khold with the instrumental "Enfirmidade Delirante" which is brief, but has a black n' roll edge to it that is mostly guitar based, but serves as an intriguing, if not odd, interlude for the album. By track five listeners will have felt either depressed or unnerved by the music and suddenly this rock oriented track pops up and everything changes... for a little bit.
While some might argue that InThyFlesh do better with more members than just two, compared to their last two releases, 'Claustrophobia' stacks up nicely as a solid, well rounded piece of black metal. The songs are lengthy (but not too long) and the production is raw but not so raw it feels like a repetitve early Xasthur album where almost nothing can be heard. While the instrumentation is somewhat limited as far as the music just being based on vocals, guitars, bass, and drum (no keyboards, no orchestras, no female vocals like many of the more modern black metal bands like to use) InThyFlesh make excellent use of these instruments to create the most power, minimalistic effort possible. Those who prefer older black metal with intriguing lyrics that border gothic-doom and haunting rhythms that are played at top speed will probably find this release worth a spin or two.
- Da Nossa Carne
- Abismo Interior
- Devaneios De Rejeição
- Hasteado Ao Infortúnio
- Perdição No Vício d'Austeridade
- Enfermidade Delirante
- Alvoroço De Antecipação
- Sôfrego Desencontro
- Submerso Em Instantes
Label: http://www.nykta.gr
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Oct 3, 2011
Oct 3, 2011
Next review:
Brutal Truth - End Time
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