BEST OF BRITISH: THE INFERNAL SEA / MOUNTAIN CALLER / YERSIN

(Andy Synn presents another terrific triptych of recent releases from the UK)

We’re only a month into the new year and the UK contingent has already put out several strong releases (including a couple that I’m holding on to for the next edition of this particular series).

All signs, therefore, indicate that this is going to be another healthy year for my home-grown scene, so let’s start as we mean to go on, shall we, with three more examples of “The Best of British”!

THE INFERNAL SEA – HELLFENLIC

We have, collectively, all been big fans of The Infernal Sea here at NCS for a long time, to the point where we’ve written about most (if not all) of their various albums, EPs, and singles over the years.

I do recall, however, that their last album, 2020’s Negotium Crucis, received a slightly lukewarm response from us due to being an unexpectedly uneven record which featured some major highs (particularly mid-album highlight “Devoid of Fear”) but also some odd lows where some of the band’s creative choices didn’t quite work.

But listening to Hellfenlic – which is a loose concept album based on the life of the infamous 17th century Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins – it becomes clear that the previous record, with the benefit of hindsight, was really just a test run for where The Infernal Sea wanted to push their sound.

This might not be immediately apparent during in-your-face opener “Lord Abhorrent”, whose scorching scream of “I am the witchfinder!” sets the stage for just over four minutes of unflinchingly ferocious blasting and utterly filthy grooves that are as purely, and unashamedly, Black Metal as you could ever ask for, but the effective use of creepy semi-clean vocals during the wicked, Watain-esque “Shadow of the Beast” and the doom-laden, Venom-ous “Witchfinder” finds The Infernal Sea building up and fleshing out their sonic identity even more fully.

It’s not a perfect record, by any means – I may be in the minority here, but first single “Bastard of the East”, despite having an absolutely killer outro riff, doesn’t really do much to make itself stand-out – but the highs, of which there are many (including the hellishly hooky, raucously riff-heavy “Black Witchery”, the grim ‘n’ gloomy “Frozen Fen” – possibly my favourite track on the album – and ambitious eight-minute closer “Messenger of God”) find the band raising their game while incorporating more and more elements of Trad Metal, Thrash, Black & Roll, and classic Doom into their bubbling cauldron of ideas and influences.

MOUNTAIN CALLER – CHRONICE II: HYPERGENESIS

Maybe it’s because I’m a vocalist myself (I wouldn’t go so far as to say “singer”, though I have my moments) but it’s rare for a purely instrumental band to catch my ear.

It does occasionally happen though, and those which do tend to be bands with such a strong sense of storytelling to their songwriting – bands like Mountain Caller here, for example – that it doesn’t matter that there aren’t any words, as the images being painted by the instruments are more than vivid enough on their own.

Of course, it’s worth pointing out that Hypergenesis actually does feature one song with vocals this time around, but since this is – in my opinion, at least – the album’s weakest song (which isn’t necessarily a criticism, since it’s not a band track in isolation) it’s perhaps not something we need to focus on, since it’s such an outlier.

Now I could use a cliched phrase like “Mountain Caller take you on a journey with this album”… and I wouldn’t necessarily be wrong to do so… but instead of focussing in on the bigger picture (though, make no mistake, the album is certainly well worth listening to in its entirety) I’d instead like to focus in on some of the more specific moments that really caught my ear on this album.

The mix of punchy riffs, proggy grooves, and pristine melodies which introduces “Daybreak”, for example, serves as a great way to introduce both new and old listeners to the group’s new record, while the juxtaposition of sombre melody and surprising heaviness on “The Archivist” (which features some of the biggest, beefiest guitar work and meatiest, moodiest bass-lines on the album) makes it one of the tracks where, even if you don’t have time for the whole thing, you’re going to want to keep coming back to.

There’s much, much more than that to check out, of course (from the absolutely gorgeous instrumental interplay of “Into the Hazel Woods”, to the impressive intensity of penultimate pounder “March of the Göll” and the uplifting beauty of the climactic title-track), and the only way to really appreciate it all is to listen for yourselves!

YERSIN – THE SCYTHE IS REMORSELESS

If there’s one thing you need to know about Yersin on their recently-released second album, The Scythe is Remorseless, it’s that they don’t play nice.

Oh, I’m sure they’re probably a lovely bunch of boys overall, but that’s probably only because they’ve got this outlet for all their most negative and nihilistic emotions.

Make no mistake about it, caustic cuts like galloping, grinding, grooving opener “Triumphant” and the (arguably) even more savage strains of Death-Grind anthem “Mouths Like Open Graves” find the band spitting venom and riffing up a storm like their lives depend upon it (and it’s possible that they do).

For all the filth and fury that Yersin wallow in across The Scythe is Remorseless, however, they never forget the importance of a good hook, and the hooks in songs such as the Punk-meets-Death Metal title-track and the lurching “Lust for Crust” are as exactly as sharp, as bloody, and as dripping with venom as you want them to be.

Hell, even the short, sharp shock of “Red Mist” (and the even shorter, sharper, and more shocking “To The Masses”) has an ugly sort of catchiness to it (including some subtle touches of bleak melody),while the album’s darkly hypnotic denouement”, “Doom”, slowly catches and captivates your attention with its booming riffs and brooding melodies before finishing you off with one final, climactic eruption of grind-encrusted extremity right at the end.

Don’t miss out on this one – it’s a nasty, gnarly and absolutely (and aptly) remorseless album that has a lot of potential for cross-over success… a little bit Punk, a little bit Death Metal, a little bit Crust, a little bit Grind… without compromise or concession.