Right let’s start by mounting this high horse. I have been in Suffolk 20 years and despite being anti nationalistic and flag hating have become strangely fond of this city less county. The Infernal Sea appear just as passionate (possibly more so) about their fen land roots. The PR blurb that accompanies Hellefinic states” Hailing from the East of England, an area of bleak, flat, desolation that echoes throughout their music”. Nay ! Nay and thrice nay! It is the fens that are flats as a pancake – Ely has to be the bleakest railway station that I have ever sat in. (Even worse than Doncaster). Suffolk has hills and cliffs and veritable mountains compared with the flatness of the bastard Fens! Gahhh. Shit I need to get a life.
Still once I have got over this nonsense I can get down to reviewing this cracking album which centres around one of Suffolk’s most infamous sons and definitely the only one to be played by the late great Vincent Price – Matthew Hopkins. (Unless there is a lesser known Cradle of Filth Hammer crossover sequel to Cradle of Fear I have forgotten).
It’s been 4 long (partly plague ridden) years since Negotium Crucis and the faceless quartet have certainly been busy cultivating tasty chops and grooves for this one.
Now, I am on my 6th listen of this album – three of which have been today and I can feel myself going off into a The Infernal Sea wormhole. I saw I only owned one other album and rectified that by buying their digital discography for a ridiculously cheap price on Bandcamp so will likely be dreaming of plague doctor masks for the next week or so.
The reason for this sudden lurch into fandom? Well this album is really fucking good. It is accessible and grabs from the get go. I know accessible can sound a bit “radio friendly unit shifter” and could turn folk off but hear me out. Hellenlic is filled to the brim(stone) with big big songs. Black Metal is a magnificent genre and one of my faves but a lot of time and effort is spent building atmosphere and the feeling of an album to enshroud the listener. These eight songs say “fuck that for a lark” and get on with giving it large.
The album opens with the cry “I am the Witchfinder” and we are off with the blasting Lord Abhorrent. The title prompts memories in me of Midian era Cradle of Filth and the fantastic Lord Abortion and I hope it’s not hyperbole to say that Hellefenic could do for The Infernal Sea did for Dani and the filthlings to a 2024 extent. The drums are furious and the guitar licks are razor sharp. D.L’s vocals are as acerbic as ever with the higher pitched ones sneering like Jeff Walker. It has a swagger and a groove to add to the metallic fury. “Shadow of the Beast” continues in a similar blistering fashion – I alternated between orange squeezing and two finger air blasting. J.B.’s drums hold this beast together – tight as the bindings on a poor Suffolk midwifes ankles as she was stripped and searched for the devil’s mark. C.R.s bass is given a Lemmyesque rumble on this track over which J.E. fires off some damn huge riffs as well as a soaring lick or two.
What really grabbed me by the short and curlies was the hints of classic rock and metal and even dirty hardcore on the album. Witchfinder opens with a classic NWOBHM riff with some nostalgic demonic style vocals followed by some magnificent Black Metal passages that conjured up images of nefarious deeds by torchlight. The word I have written in my note book whilst listening to this track is Dio. I get massive Holy Diver album vibes off this track and it gives me the kinda thrill I got as a teen when I first discovered this glorious world of make believe and madness.
The next three tracks pass by in a blur of utter mayhemic joy. The Hunter is fist clenched bark at the sky aggression with a glorious Tom G Warrior “Ooooh” half way through and a naughty little Puritan hardcore gang shout “Guilty of your Crimes!” all over a razor sharp riff that fires off memories of Andy Sneap on a History of a Time To Come. Then it is onto the single “Bastard of the East” – Hopkins ring entry tune I suppose – a Satyr style mechanical riff that swings you round by the nips before forcing you onto the ducking stool. Then a beautiful bastard punk/metal hybrid – Black Witchery. A count in worthy of the Exploited lights the fuse on 3 minutes 44 seconds of hyper thrash punk darkness with a crazy convulsive solo. This track feels like The Infernal Sea have unleashed (in the East?) and are just having fun – proper Black n Roll – think of the Japanese Sabbat this time and Vreid or Sarke.
Frozen Fen is definitely frostbitten – swathes of Norwegian second wave threaten to drown the grasslands – especially Volcano era Satyricon. There is one riff that these Cambridgeshire oiks have pilfered from Fuel For Hatred but it works a treat. There’s also hints of Thorns bleak otherworldliness too and then, all too soon it is time to say goodbye.
The soft acoustics strings that open Messenger of God are soon usurped by thunderous toms and melancholic strings. This is the most “English” sounding of the album and evokes the terrible sadness that was caused in the aftermath of the witch hunts of Hopkins. It is the sound of villages torn apart by jealousy and fear and the Church’s thirst for power.
The strings reach a heart wrenching pitch and the anger in D.L.’s voice is close to breaking down. The end to a truly torrid tale that gets romanticized far too often, it needs to be remembered for what it was part of a power grab post civil war whereby the landed gentry could control the poor through puritan ideals and misogyny.
So this dark history lesson draws to a close and I am left to reflect on what has been a wonderful yet disturbing musical journey. It made me dance (a bit), bang my head, throw my arms up in KVLT exaltation but also think.
Is it too early to whisper album of the year? Dunno. Witch album will beat it?
(9/10 Matt Mason)
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