One of Czechia’s historic black metal bands, Inferno have been gradually evolving their sound over the past decade. Starting with Omniabsence Filled By His Greatness, the band’s black metal became more mystical and metaphysical, while still retaining its raw edge. Gnosis Kardias refined this synthesis, remaining both devastatingly aggressive and deeply otherworldly. While 2021’s Paradeigma shifted this equilibrium, Inferno did not abandon their black metal pedigree in favour of ritualism and ambiance. Instead, they let their past inform their present, and occasionally let it shine through fierce, blast-driven parts.
Their new record, The Anthropic Sophisms, further tips the scales toward the psychedelic and atmospheric. Everything is subordinated to the ritual, and Inferno make good use of past strategies to augment this experience. First comes the repetitive rhythmic structures, mirroring a distorted image of Krautrock where cosmic wonder is replaced by cosmic dread. The fluid drumming in “Dekranos Katexochen” establishes a trance through circular rhythmic patterns that gradually disorient. Those circular patterns later harden into abrupt, punishing repetitions, taking on a quasi-industrial presence in “With Raving Mouths They Utter…”, recalling the harsh, inescapable rhythmic structures of early Killing Joke and Swans.
For the most part, the ritual is unbreakable, a continuous, endless experience that Inferno orchestrate. However, the spell breaks at times, veering into a more immediately volatile path. Electronic applications contradict the rock instrumentation, echoing the Coil DNA. These interventions remain subtle, with feedback anchoring the sound while synthesizers erupt in brief electrical bursts that make the ritual shimmer momentarily. These small deviations make the heavier counterparts more impressive, either in moments when Inferno take a near-drone form, recalling through glacial riffing the apocalyptic visions of Khanate, or their sparse black metal outbreaks.
The Anthropic Sophisms features few traditional black metal outbreaks. The ending of “Dekranos Katexochen” is the sole moment that returns to the band’s point of origin, its blastbeat-driven progression and discordant riffing recalling the band’s grim past. Still, every element of Inferno’s sound remains grounded in that same tradition. Their aesthetics are deeply embedded in their psychedelia, not an external factor taken from Krautrock, shoegaze or post-metal, but one shaped by black metal itself. Even in its most abstract moments, the music never stops thinking like black metal.
This dual effort makes The Anthropic Sophisms an exciting, well-structured release. Inferno’s dedication to the ceremony they enact is absolute; they never forget that their end goal is to drown the listener in their mystical weaves. At the same time, they ground the ceremony in their black metal pedigree, lending the proceedings an authenticity that distinguishes it from bands merely borrowing psychedelic language.
The only point where the record falters is that, in their complete commitment to this ritualistic endeavour, they left behind some of the more aggressive moments that made Paradeigma and Gnosis Kardias exciting in their unpredictability. The Anthropic Sophisms attempts to achieve the same effect through different means, but ultimately some of the harsher, down-to-the-bone black metal is missing.