Nightfly
Like the five albums before it, Infernus pretty much follows Hate Eternal’s template of highly technical death metal. It’s a good album for sure – ten brutal tracks of incredible musicianship in a blur of blastbeats for the most part. It’s impressive stuff and if you’re a fan you’ll know what to expect. The only problem is that after a few plays there’s not much that remains in my head. It perhaps suffers a bit from what Nile have sometimes been accused of in the past where technique takes precedence over strong songs and riffs. While there is some variation a fair chunk of the album is a bit samey. Erik Rutan’s production is crystal clear but an earlier album like I, Monarch for example has a warmer more organic sound along with stronger riffs and more variation.
Don’t get me wrong, this is still an impressive record and there are some compelling moments, pick of the bunch being the six minute title track which benefits from slowing things down somewhat and offering a bit more variation. The playing is jaw dropping and if you’re a fan of the band you’ll want to check this album out for sure. A good album then, but a shortage of memorable songs robs it of greatness. Not their best then but certainly not the worst.