Inferno 

Black Devotion

Agonia Records 2009

Hailing from the same land as Root and Master's Hammer comes these talented satanic black metal traditionalists who are unleashing their fifth full length album.  After an eerie intro these diabolical Czechs sere the soul with sinister black metal which eschews all untraditional trappings like keyboards and happy melodies on Superior Will.  Blasting black metal riffs freeze like a blizzard, blotting out all warmth and light.  Anti-harmonies and dissonance fly like shards of ice in a maelstrom on Whisper of Hope In Bloody Tears.  A Nordic melody sways along to a galloping double bass drum before exploding into periods of chaotic hatred.  A soaring melody anchors the infernal hellstorm that is Eaten By Rats Forever.  An interesting clean guitar break and slow mildly despondent section brings the album to a contemplative fulcrum before bursting into lightning quick, harsh black metal riffing that strike like a thousand arrows on a snowy battlefield.  Loyalty of Honour is a short instrumental, wrought with clean guitars and even synths which evokes a comparison to a darker Katatonia mixed with Marduk.  More Marduk-esque assaulting black metal surges forth on Altar of Perversity as tight, speedy riffs and drumming annihilate with cold, calculating grimness.  And the merciless onslaught continues with Message to Ages and Sign of Hell, though a killer guitar melody surfaces at the 2:08 mark which would do Judas Priest proud.  On Black Devotion, Inferno capture the essence of demonic majesty and antichristian cruelty.  Black Devotion is familiar and comforting while being devoutly orthodox in its approach to black metal and spiritual Satanism.  A true atmosphere of cynical coldness and Satanic blackness seeps from this disk like a impenetrable black fog.