I've only begun to scratch the surface of this genre on my Black Metal journey, and I guessed I missed the memo on a band with this much history that I am only discovering now. Czech Republic's INFERNO have been active since 1996, and their discography went nearly to the bottom of the page. They have released Demos, Eps, nine Split albums and now with Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution), which is their seventh full-length album, from W.T.C Productions. The album contains six tracks, four in the seven-eight minute range, one ten minute song, and a closing two minute song.

"The Innermost Disillusion" opens with rattling blast beat drums, and eerie guitar notes that ring like bells, taunting you with the benefits of going rogue to the dark side. The vocals are deep utterances from a demonic voice, and the song just oozes villainous atrocities. Just over half way, the sound drops off into an ambient passage that features soft melodies and spectral effects in the background. The spoken words command you to obey, from the throne of the Underlord himself. The contrast from the earlier chaos is absolutely wonderful. A "cacophony" is a dissonant or harsh mixture of sound. "Abysmal Cacophony" is that and more. Dark forces amass in the firey pit, as all manner of evil is being summoned. The discord is noteworthy and really what makes the song what it is. You don't want bright notes with the weight of this obscenity. Steadily it moves along, from the fuel of the timekeeper on drums. This allows some of the nuances in the background to really take form, from an idea, to a shadow, to a fully formed creature of the night.

"Upheaval of Silence" builds on a long lead-in of fuzzy distorted guitar notes and clean guitar strikes, with the thud of the kick drum, until it moves to a double bass rhythm. The sound continues to build with blasphemous vocals and spooky effects. From there it establishes a sort of marching sound...the horde is on the move. Hidden in the darkness however are morsels of melody that you might miss if you are not fully engulfed in the song. "Ω > 1 (Oscillation in Timelessness) is wicked from the start. A foul voice fills the air, among the lawlessness of the instrumentation, and relentless percussion. About half way through, the sound drops off again, and a faint buzzing can be heard in the background. Flies have always come to represent filth and squalor, and that is what the buzzing sounds like...flies and maggots feasting on a cadaver from an unholy death. For the last two minutes, a foreboding riff carries the song to conclusion.

"Gate-eye of the Fractal Spirit" opens with guitar notes that are thick with reverb, and some very unique chord progressions. When distorted guitars come in, that dissonance is still there to some degree but also some great snipets of melody. There is a hypnotic rhythm to the song as well. You feel like you just took the white acid and are now interlocked with others in a dance of carnal sin, controlled by a puppet master giving you a glimpse into one possible afterlife, if you don't mind condemnation of your soul. "Orison for the Baneful Spirit" is the closing short instrumental. An orison is a prayer. The effects in the song are trippy. The only thing I could make out for sure are the sound of water briefly washing over someone or something.

For me, this was a cathartic listening experience, but in the opposite direction of what that usually is. Instead of feeling clean and fresh, I felt devilishly deviant. Somehow that felt good however. The songs were fascinating to listen to, and the depth of evil that oozed from them were stellar. The oft whispered vocals really brought this sound to the forefront of the album, because the voice took on the visual of coming from a demon rather than a person. The interludes-brought variation to the songs and soaked into you slowly, like any good torture would. Sometimes in this genre you can spot disingenuous efforts and pass them off as campy. I am here to tell you that is not the case with "Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution.)" The beast your parents told you is not under your bed is real, and you can feel his hot breath on your neck for just seconds before he devours you.