Inferno have been around a good while. This Czech Black Metal ensemble have been casting their spells since 1996 and Paradeigma is their eighth full length release.

This album has as its muses a triumvirate of weighty tomes – “The Red Book” by Jung ,  “Time Reborn” by physicist Lee Smolin and “The Cosmos as Self Creation” by fellow countryman Michael Ajvaz. With these ideas swirling around their noggins they have created six tracks of space infused Black Metal with dark post punk influences.

The overall feel of the album is quite cerebral. This is no spiked club to the face – though the riffs are razor sharp and the drums certainly blast in the right places. Paradeigma relies on atmosphere to coax and tempt the listener into the dark spaces rather than the jump scares of brutality.

The intro – “Decaying Virtualities Yearn for Asymtopia” (vying for Bal Sagoth territory there?) is a brooding orchestral piece which lurches a little too abruptly into the blast and bombast of “The Wailing Horizon”. Luckily after 30 seconds of mayhem things settle a little as some dark keys and atmos are added into the mix. The dark, far away vocals sound as though they are coming from the depths of a black hole and add a majestic deep space horror to proceedings.

It is on the next track “Descent Into Hell of the Future” that I start to sense the Post Punk influences that were promised in the accompanying PR blurb. Here in the cold stark sounding drums and melancholia lies the forlorn beauty of The Cure’s masterpiece Pornography. I am transported to a new Hanging Garden but one where there are hooded figures and a hint of modern black gaze behind the smeared lipstick and dry ice.

“Phosphenes” continues this early 80’s monochrome – shot through with crimson – collage with a haunting intro and minimalist drums that again references the Cure – this time Faith era and Wailing Wall from the Top and with the flagrant toms at the end even a bit of Sisters Floorshow. This old Goth is having a field day!  “Ekstasis of the Continuum” is an eerie cosmic journey through a dead star. The hellish deep almost McCoy vocals are swamped and over powered by crystal clear drums and heavy riffs. It builds and builds into a gargantuan crescendo of drums and keys as the music finally disintegrates my ears.

All good things come to an end – but this one – like some illicit massages – has a happy one. “Star Within and Stars Without, Projected into the Matrix of Time” – OK that is gonna be a hard one for the band to call out to a baying crowd if they ever play it live. However, it is a great epitaph for this album – clocking in at eight and half minutes there is plenty to immerse yourself into.

Inferno have dug deep into the worlds of Black Metal – both classic and Post, Space Rock and most definitely UK post punk proto Goth and created a wonderfully textured and atmospheric album that is up there with the likes of Ruins of Beverast for those wanting to be transported to a different dimension.

(8/10 Matt Mason)

https://www.facebook.com/InfernoCZBM

https://pureinferno.bandcamp.com/album/paradeigma-phosphenes-of-aphotic-eternity