INFERN is a death metal band from France, who formed in 2020; “Turn of the Tide,” is their debut full-length album. The band might be new to the underground scene but the individual members are not, featuring musicians currently or formerly in bands like STONEBIRDS, TALIANDÖRÖGD, KRARATH, THE DYING SEED, REASON SLEEPS, ANTHARES, and SYMPOSIUM. This album is a blast from start to finish and is one of the best albums Dolorem Records has ever released. The band’s influences are obvious but they could do much worse than wearing BOLT THROWER and OBITUARY on their collective sleeves. With that being said, INFERN isn’t a carbon-copy of those bands—they, without a doubt, have their own sound.

And that sound is riffs, riffs, and more riffs. Oh, and some riffs. Seriously, this album grooves more than any other extreme metal album I’ve heard this year. From start to finish, it’s a tour-de-force of endless whiplash and barreling death metal. The album’s ability to effectively manage a balanced mixture of groove, scorching speed, and melody is impressive. Of course, the production helps with that as it allows each instrument to present itself clear and razor sharp. Each note is like the edge of a little blade, cutting into ears as the seconds pass. Death by a thousand cuts! Julien Tanguy’s vocals teeter on the edge of madness; he sounds like he could lose his mind at any minute. It’s extreme, it’s rough, and it is perfect for this style because even when the album is at its grooviest, his vocals keep it abrasive and uncompromising.

Jean-Marie Grövel and Pierre-Loup Corvez are the caster of this riff magic and they just don’t stop. Likewise, bassist Sylvain Collas and drummer Simon Beux offering their own blistering rhythm machine. The album begins with “Undertow” and a brief intro of ominous sounds before the band launches into a steady pace. The vocals and instruments are of one mind, moving in unison as some sort of death siege machine. The drums are fantastic in their approach of complimenting the song...every note Sylvain hits on is in a much needed place. The last thirty seconds of the song is destruction on a wide scale…pounding rhythms, deep bass, and precise drums. “Tormented Paranoid,” recalls a more modern day take on the old-school notion of riffs that crush while being catchy. The middle part of the song is memorable, the riffs choppy like a swelling ocean during a storm, a hurricane of layered vocals adding to the danger. I really like the increase in tempo and the whirlwind solo it all leads to.

“Archetype of Brutal Aggressor” is one of the highlights of the album, it’s tempo just half a step away from being doom. The slower paced groove serves to highlight just how crushing the band is—each note hits like a hammer made of other hammers. After the 3:15 mark, the band really slows it down for one of the best moments on the album. “State Puppet Theater” is the exact opposite, offering a glimpse into the band at their most visceral. It’s mean, lean, and fast. The lead guitar after the halfway mark serves as atmospheric booster, lacing the song with a slightly different vibe than some of the other songs have. The final song is “Buried Alive.” The first minute or so is the melodic tinges I spoke up earlier that outline the riffs. Afterwards, the song becomes one of the fastest on the album but cuts back on the tempo later, a subtle approach at allow the entrance of the lead guitar to take stage.

INFERN'S "Turn of the Tide" is a intense groove fest that will provide many hours of nonstop headbanging because it’s well worth visiting over and over. As far as death metal goes, this one has already fought its way near to the top of the putrid pile for me as we approach the end of the year.