INFRARED
“From The Black Swamp”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9.5/10

Infrared are a thrash metal band from Canada forming in 1985, releasing their ‘Recognition In Power’ demo in 1988. Shortly after though, the band went on a very long hiatus. Reforming in 2014, the band released its first full length album ‘No Peace’ in 2016, and in 2018, released their sophomore album ‘Saviours’. The five song E.P, ‘Back To The Warehouse’, was released in 2019. Over the years the band have toured with the likes of Anvil, Sacrifice, Venom Inc, Flotsam And Jetsam, and Atrophy, constantly raising their profile as one of the most exciting thrash metal bands around.

The bands third full length album ‘From The Black Swamp’ was released in 2021, and is a ferocious twelve song battering from start to finish – with opener ‘Tribal Junction’ hitting the ground running, delivering the first of many crushing blows. A blistering old school flavour emanates from ‘Tribal Junction’, as it savagely cuts and thrusts its way through the airways. The searing pace is face melting, and is actually reined in a little for ‘No Masters, No Gods’ – but the band increase the brutality level, fairly bludgeoning the senses with a constant pounding. The heavier nature of ‘No Masters, No Gods’ is in stark contrast to the albums opener, two very different, but instantly likeable styles of thrash metal.

The scorching pace returns in the mighty shape of ‘Lockdown’, a fast and furious rampage of all out thrash. Savagery melds with brutality to deliver a crushing hammer blow of immense proportions, and having a large pack of band aids to hand is highly advisable! Now, have you ever had a bad day on the freeway where asshole motorists are always cutting you off! Then boy, do Infrared have the song for you – ‘Left Lane Fuck!’. A more mid tempo but nonetheless savage nature engulfs your listening space, and you feel yourself not just head banging but nodding your head in agreement with everything the band are singing about. Not so much a driving anthem, more like an anthemic battle cry. Introducing the heavy hitting, foot stomping style of thrash, ‘Eat Your Own’ is a weighty thump of brutality. If you haven’t started using the band aids for your cuts and bruises, you better start soon or risk bleeding to death – the savage blows raining down from this album cutting very deep!

The title song ‘From The Black Swamp’ heralds the return of pace, and a more melodious gallop than everything heard so far. The melodic nature is reminiscent of such giants of thrash Testament, Death Angel, and fellow Canadians Annihilator – Infrared covering every inch of the thrash metal genre, delivering a varied roller coaster of styles. With its hauntingly atmospheric intro resembling the colossal menace of late eighties Slayer, ‘Evil Ascent’ is a menacing romp that’ll have some listeners diving for cover – especially when ‘Evil Ascent’ bursts into life, galloping at full tilt as if its life depended on it! ‘Blood & Sweat’ fires up the furnace, with scorching heat melting the skin off your face! The searing pace of earlier makes an emphatic return, blending with a savage barrage of brutality that’ll leave scars if not treated immediately! But there’s still four songs to go – so just put a band aid on it and keep going…

…with the devastatingly menacing and heavy foot stomper ‘Eternal Exile’. The menace level has just shot right through the fucking roof – the band dishing out a devilish slab of attitude laden, in your face, venom riddled thrash. Blistering pace lights up the airways with the high velocity rampage of ‘Tradimento’ – with its wonderfully infectious and sing a long style chorus. A chorus that wouldn’t be out of place on a hard rock album! Bustling thrash rises to the fore with the fast paced ‘Beautiful Death’. Very heavy and fiery, ‘Beautiful Death’ continues Infrared’s exploration of every nook and cranny of the thrash metal genre. Closing the album is the hard hitting ‘Semita Domum’ – opening with a short mellow and serene guitar passage, before adopting the heaviest foot stomp on the entire album, and for the most part ‘Semita Domum’ is an instrumental, vocals not kicking in ’til the final third – and then they’re of the anthemic and hymn-like nature.

Overall, a thunderous album of all out thrash, delivering a savage amount of varied songs from all corners of the thrash metal genre.

TRACKLIST

Tribal Junction
No Masters, No Gods
Lockdown
Left Lane Fuck
Eat Your Own
From The Black Swamp
Evil Ascent
Blood & Sweat
Eternal Exile
Tradimento
Beautiful Death
Semita Domum

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