Kingcrimsonprog
This is a really fun album; every Entombed album has its own unique flavour and historically fan reaction to Entombed’s back catalogue has ranged from `Genre Defining Classic,’ to `Dreadful Sell Out.’
Inferno is a really fun album and a real grower, when it was first released I thought that it was good but not essential. Over the years however I always find myself coming back to the album and liking it more and more to the point where it has become one of my favourite Entombed records. While it was certainly not as fast as `Left Hand Path,’ or as heavy as its predecessor `Morning Star,’ it was brilliant and the songs speak for themselves.
Songs like the rumbling `The Fix Is In,’ and the fantastic `That’s When I Became A Satanist,’ are oozing with macho muscle and adrenaline which is somewhat ironic considering the lyrical content of the amazing ‘Flexing Muscles.’
The production isn’t crystal clear because of Entombed’s tonal choices and preference for the `Sweaty,’ and `Grimy,’ sounds, as they like to state in interviews and this is definitely one of their grimier records.
As an aside that may not affect everyone but exists on some printings of the album, a strange phenomenon exists where the album (which full of guitar solos) fails to play the solos on certain cd players. For example; on my home stereo this is full of solos, but on my walkman it has none at all. This problem is more or less solved now in the age of mp3s however and shouldn’t put you off giving the album a fair try.
Overall; this is a brilliant album from Entmobed; don’t expect a rehash of their first few albums, Inferno brings something a little different but equally interesting to the Entombed catalogue. If you are unsure about whether or not the album is for you, check out the groovy `NoboDaddy’ as a rough gauge of the album’s direction.