Blaspherian - Infernal Warriors Of Death

Blaspherian

Infernal Warriors Of Death

Deathgasm Records

Following on from the 2010 re-release of their ‘Allegiance To The Will Of Damnation’ E.P. (In expanded form through Deathgasm Records), cult underground death metal act Blaspherian are back with their long awaited debut full-length release ‘Infernal Warriors Of Death’.

As expected, the Houston (Texas, U.S.) based four piece act (Comprising of vocalist Lord Apollyon, guitarist Wes Infernal, bassist Joe Necro and drummer Matt Mayhem) haven’t radically altered their sound and approach to old-school bludgeoning death metal that was presented on the former E.P, but then given the strengths of Blaspherian’s former material, they didn’t really need to. That’s not to say that Blaspherian have simply regurgitated what they’ve done in the past on ‘Infernal Warriors Of Death’. On the contrary, the band have managed to refine their song writing, improve upon the production values of their past efforts (Which was something of a sore point throughout ‘Allegiance To The Will Of Damnation’) and deliver one of the most crushing releases to emerge from the death metal scene in some time.

Blaspherian’s song writing isn’t what you would call overly complex. The band strip back the trademark death metal sound to its essential elements, and pummel that out in the heaviest possible manner. It’s hardly a new approach, but one that works well in the hands of some, and fails with others. For Blaspherian, it well and truly works.

The opening track ‘The Disgrace Of God’ is a good example of where the band virtually dispense the addition of unnecessary extras associated with the modern death metal sound, and simply blast out a sound that solely relies on tight knit riffing, a consistent bass presence and drums that provide enough differing rhythms to maintain an interesting sound from start to finish. The production is also noteworthy as it allows all members of the band to be heard clearly enough to distinguish one from the other, which isn’t always the case on most death metal releases.

Although remaining true to the tried formula of old-school death metal, the simplistic blast and duality of speeds within ‘Desecration Eternal’ and the title track ‘Infernal Warriors Of Death’ are quite effective, while the heavy doom influence-like riffing in the slower paced ‘Sworn To Death And Evil’ and ‘Lies Of The Cross’ are typically the kind of bludgeoning staple slabs of death metal that you generally associate from the group.

Other tracks worthy of an extra mention include the groovy and chaotic ‘Invoking Abomination’ and the intense vibe of the closer ‘Exalted In Unspeakable Evil’.

‘Infernal Warriors Of Death’ isn’t a reinvention of the tried and true Blaspherian song writing formula of the past, but more a refined and well executed version of what came before. And that in itself is enough to earn high praise for the band’s long awaited debut.

For more information on Blaspherian, check out - http://www.myspace.com/blaspherian

© Justin Donnelly