It’s a shame that it took this site about half a year to get around to reviewing In Conjuration, the masterful third release from Boston black metal wrecking crew Infera Bruo. But in the case of a record this mindfuckingly dissonant, this technically impressive, this ambitious, I’d say it’s better late than never.
The band’s first record on a proper label is a huge step forward in production value from the one that preceded it. The second-wave ferocity is still intact, as are the nods to Enslaved-style progressivism, the occasional clean vocals, and the synthesized atmospherics. But on In Conjuration, they all sound profoundly natural. Nothing gets in anything else’s way and nothing sounds forced.
The sounds Infera Bruo gets out of their synths are unholy and cold as hell, utilized more for effect and atmosphere than melody. It’s cool a bit of avant-garde arrangement that doesn’t take away from the straightforward, ripping black metal tunes of which they are an integral part. The album’s more melodic elements, the minor key clean guitars and vocals, are varied enough in style and delivery that they don’t become repetitive over the span of several songs.
This city’s black metal scene has been on a serious tear in the last few years, spitting out unsettling, brutal new groups pretty much left and right, but Infera Bruo stand head and shoulders above most of them. If you missed out on this record last summer, check it out now. If you didn’t, check it out again. It’s a grower… AND a shower.
In Conjuration is available now from Birdrune Recordings.