Not that long ago, I published an article talking about LanzerRath. They’re a great black metal band that has a DIY spirit and whose music is an expression of raw emotion. Just recently, they put out a new full-length album called An Infinite Instant, which continues to improve on what they have done in the past.
This is to date their best produced album, at it achieves a perfect balance of clarity and atmosphere. The instrumental work has been honed to a fine edge. The drums make this obvious from the first second onward. The blast beats are a lot more furious, the slow rhythms hit harder, and they play more complicated patterns. The raspy vocals are more refined, and not only do the growls sound more brutal, but they’re performed a lot more often. They’re especially great on “Witness to the Fall”.
The guitar work is incredible. The tremolo riffs have become a lot more vicious. Some are of a European style while others are more distinctly American, sounding similar to bands like Leviathan. Sometimes they play chord progressions that are simpler and more thrash-like, such as those on “Into the Maw of Ancients”. The slower, depressive riffs sound a lot more bleak. All of these different riffs are infused with melodies that are far more powerful than what they created in the past. This is most apparent on “Cosmic Theriac”, which also happens to be the best song on the album. It is there that melody and aggression are combined into a furious maelstrom that brings forth great destruction but is a marvel to behold.
Each LanzerRath album has been better than the last, and An Infinite Instant is their best release to date. Few bands can so seamlessly unite ferocity, melancholy, and melody into a cohesive, compelling whole. If they continue to make quality music like this, then I can easily see them becoming well-respected in the metal underground in the next few years.