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It's not always that easy sometimes to get promos from European countries, but I guess I can count myself lucky to be able to listen and review some of the best underground bands and releases. It happens to be the case with the latest package I got from the darkest French label, Debemur Morti.

Once again, I'm sitting here, listening to an excellent German act projecting a very somber scenery, for my hearing pleasure. Infestus is a duo made of Andras ( words and music) and Dagon (words and vocals). Chroniken Des Ablebens is their sophomore cryptic release. First, the production work here is just great! This proves that the rawer sound is not the only way to go when Black Metal is concerned. This doesn't prevent Infestus' music from being dark and depressive, quite the contrary. Their heavier/ intense mood is quite nicely balanced out by more melodic and calmer parts. Those moments often manifest themselves by means of clean guitar work, arpeggios, samplings and so on. I really enjoyed the clean sound of the arpeggios echoing in some of the songs such as "Entering Eternal Oblivion", "Chapter one: Into Unexistence", and in "Manifesto Invidiae". The guys are not stuck on only one emotional level, and the same goes with their beats since, in many cases, mid to fast paces collide in one single song. Good and juicy riffs meet melodic tremolo picking, while punchy drums and double basses pulsate to the mood of the composition.

With never a dull moment, Chroniken Des Ablebens is affine piece of intensely melodic and sadly depressive Black Metal. All hails to this Nocturnal German duo!