Two short years after the release of Cerement, INFERA BRUO returns with Rites of the Nameless; a six part subterranean odyssey through modern blackened metal. The transformative powers of those intervening years have elicited an evolution in INFERA BRUO, captured in equal parts aggressive and melodic form here on their new album. Their new single, Mining Shadows For Unlight is streaming everywhere now – including via the Youtube link below. Rites of the Nameless is due for release via Prosthetic Records on 16 October; pre-orders are available now.
Of the first single, INFERA BRUO‘s Galen Baudhuin comments:
“Mining Shadows For Unlight is probably the most straight forward song on the album. It began as a twelve minute epic, but most of it ended up being cut in favor of a more traditional structure. The lyrics refer to the process of creating life through alchemical means and the repercussions therein.”
Threads of ritualistic transformation are woven throughout the fabric of the album, embedded in the roots of the ensemble’s creative vision. Calling upon the occult and the power of magick to affirm their path forwards has resulted in a bold collection of songs that bristle with defiance and aggression, with subtle nods to classic metal and progressive rock.
The lyrics centre around inner turmoil and self reflection; their empirical nature retains an opaque mystery, resulting in a quality of other-worldliness that is evident throughout. The title refers to ancient unnamed societies, and the rites invoked to transform both the spirit and the flesh. The notion of ritualistic alchemy and metamorphic rites of passage have been utilised as a metaphor for personal change.
Produced, engineered and mixed by INFERA BRUO’s own Galen Baudhuin, and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, Rites of the Nameless is a distinctive beast. Eschewing the lo-fi production of black metal’s Scandinavian origins, and shying away from the pristine polish often found in later subscribers of the genre, the intention was to create an honest representation of the band in its rawest form.
A foreboding atmosphere ripples throughout Rites of the Nameless, converging with a primordial energy that makes each missive both essential and thought provoking. The meditative nature of the album allows room for rumination on the cyclical nature of death, rebirth and everything in between; freedom to escape the day-to-day.