Following up from their 2020 debut album Infernal Comedy, death metal act Ad Vitam Infernal is back with another speedy bout of death metal. Le Ballet des Anges picks up in a familiar place for the vicious act, though it does also come with some new angles compared to their debut, such as a less thrashy base. In short though, if you are a fan of old school death metal that loves to keep the gas pedal down for most of the album, this is going to very much be your speed.
Much like their last album, Ad Vitam Infernal’s sound is going to be quite recognizably influenced by say, Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal. More the latter in the sense that they really enjoy hitting the blastbeats and ‘full speed ahead’ them as often as possible. If that sounds like a dig on it, it’s not, since death metal is about brutality above all, and this is nothing if not unrelenting. You are immediately jackhammered by blasts and whirlwinding guitar riffs as soon as the brief “Overture” intro ends and “And the Watchers Will Be Frightened” begins. An uncompromising two-minute blitzkrieg all but overwhelms the senses in the best way possible. “Shemihazah The Great” barely misses a step as well, but does temper the blasts a little at least but the riffs are just as jagged and relentless. It’s really not until “Enchain Them All” that you see much of a significant slowdown, but such dynamics are necessary as the runtime increases.
Slower, crushing grooves become more of a dominating force as “A Peaceful Place to Wait” and “Free Will Has Set Us Free,” but it doesn’t take away from the overall blast level of the album. They provide a nice break in the second half though. One thing that should be noted overall, is that with all these breakneck songs, the band has the courtesy to not stretch them out. They go for the kill with 2-3 minute barrages on the fastest songs, and get right now. Short, sweet, and to the deadly point. It’s something this scribe wishes more bands in this style would consider.
While the sonic familiarity might drag it down for some, there’s no denying the utter ferociousness that Le Ballet des Anges packs. Ad Vitam Infernal provide compact, visceral songs that showcase the crazed riffing and frantic drumming that one demands from the genre, and delivers it in it’s purest essence. It’s hard for really ask for much more than that in extreme metal.