Obscure. An obscure bass. What better way to introduce oneself to the world than with a bass that gallops towards the darkness in its opening notes. Because that is how the first track of this debut EP by the Germans INFERNAL PRESENCE, titled “Fiery Paths”, begins: with an obscure bass that grows and evolves into an instrumental born to lead us into the dark. And I believe it would have been impossible to give the opening track any name other than ‘Into The Obscure’. Then, the course of the song opens the door to ‘Eternal Exodus’, a track that (suddenly) lets us witness the power of a band that, although new and with just a 2025 EP, sounds glorious, truly obscure, and cursed. One of the fundamental components (for me) of a Metal band is its vocalist. The voice. Everyone says the same: the voice is just another instrument. And in this “Fiery Paths”, the voice is decisive; it is what grants that sonic obscurantism to the EP and to the band as a whole. This is evident from that second track, ‘Eternal Exodus’. And what about ‘Tomb Procession’? Brutal! Simply brutal! A track that provides continuity to the structure and shapes the fabric of the EP. I really like the sound of the EP. We jump to ‘Beyond The Blackness’, the fourth track. This one is somewhat more aggressive, but with that Black Thrash echo that evokes the best eras of the subgenre as expressed by its finest exponents. Perhaps ‘Beyond The Blackness’ is, in turn, a bit more “melodic” than the previous tracks and more dominated by the instrumentation. From ‘Beyond The Blackness’ we jump to ‘Souls Of Unlight’, a track that blew my mind. I really like how it goes back and forth within that malevolent aura, full of constant rhythmic and melodic transitions. Once again, the voice imprints that black character onto everything. Finally, we reach the conclusion. To the track that bears the band’s name, ‘Infernal Presence’, which closes this EP. ‘Infernal Presence’ is a track that combines everything the band and the EP wanted to convey in this work: total obscurity. In summary, this debut, released in digital, CD and 12″ vinyl formats by Darkness Shall Rise Productions, proves that emerging bands can always take Metal to its highest level. I didn’t mention it before, but INFERNAL PRESENCE consists of “M. N.” on guitars and vocals and “D” on drums. A duo that complements each other very well and upholds the band’s name. We will have to wait for the next assault from these Germans. Highly recommended. For more information: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573866923961, www.facebook.com/darknessshallriseproductions

This is the debut recording of this new Black / Death Metal band from Germany, and holy darkness, it does invoke the best elements of ritualistic Death Metal, with a somber atmosphere and occult essence, that only few bands are capable of creating. Ritualistic, enigmatic and certainly hypnotic at times, every song shows an aura of despair and darkness that reminds me of old Metal heroes like early SAMAEL, yet with some melodic approach akin to the slower songs of first two DISSECTION albums, while some touches recalls DEATHSPELL OMEGA, and some sounds are even not far from MORGOTH. The recording is just perfect for what this is to embody, with cavernous vocals, which are more black metallic in essence, and with simple, yet very effective riffs. The essence in here is closer to the old South American sound, yet with the primordial aggression of early Teutonic evil Thrash, but without too much speed. For less than half hour, this is some of the best Metal of darkness, doom and death I have heard in long time, and gives hope (or probably not) for the uncertain future. This is the upcoming darkness in music. www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573866923961, www.facebook.com/darknessshallriseproductions