INFILTRATOR – Remnants of Battle

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7.0

• Band:
  INFILTRATOR
• Duration: 00:45:56
• Available from: 01/09/2024
• Label:

• Fucking Kill Records

Streaming not yet available

Infiltrator’s debut, “Remnants of Battle,” can’t be described in any other way than as a passionate ode to the titans of British death metal, Bolt Thrower. This German one-man band expertly recreates the epic atmosphere of war and destruction that characterizes their idols, offering an album of eight compositions that, in terms of influences, range across everything the English group has ever put together in their career, except perhaps their debut album “In Battle There Is No Law,” whose crust/grind residues have no place in these songs.
The album stands out for its powerful and cohesive sound, which, as per tradition, evokes the imagery of an army marching through devastated landscapes. Midtempos dominate the scene, infusing the songs with an inexorable and solemn pace, like the cadenced step of soldiers ready for battle. The guitars, clearly inspired by the epic style of Barry Thomson, continuously weave melodies and embroidery over robust and heavy riffs, creating a soundscape that loudly recalls military aesthetics. The production, clean but not too polished, therefore maintains the authenticity and raw intensity that befit an album of this kind, without ever betraying the raw and bellicose essence of the sound.
The song structures of “Remnants of Battle” are rather uniform, with few variations or accelerations, but this does not turn out to be a great flaw in this case; indeed, it can be said that the proud pace of many of these episodes contributes to consolidating the restless and inexorable atmosphere of an endless military campaign (“There is no time for peace / Only the eternal war”). A song like “Merciless Advance”, in any case, emerges almost immediately thanks to a tighter and more brutal riffing, recalling the more intense thrust of an album like “Realm of Chaos”. It is here that Infiltrator demonstrate that they know how to masterfully handle the sonic arsenal of their heroes, returning that catastrophic energy that one expects from a good album of this particular genre.
Even a darker and more painful track like “Resewn” helps to immerse the listener in this war universe. The images of smoking ruins are perfectly evoked by the musical themes, for a tribute to the conflict, the desolation and the courage of the fallen.
Ultimately, it is clear to say the least that “Remnants of Battle” does not seek in any way to innovate or detach itself from the legacy of Bolt Thrower. It is an album made by a huge fan of the English, intended only and exclusively for enthusiasts like him. However, it takes a certain talent to put together a tribute like this without being a caricature: in this sense, the Teutonic one man band is undoubtedly a serious and competent reality, so much so that we have no trouble defining “Remnants of Battle” as a more solid and focused work than certain releases by Karl Willetts’ Memoriam. If Bolt Thrower means 'home' to you too, then take note of this title.