Arborescence of Wrath – Inferno (Transcending Obscurity)
Friday, 13th October 2023
The pandemic certainly gave a lot of artists some time on their hands, and within the quest to fill that time, a number of new projects were formed. Some of those are still on the way to seeing the light of day. One such project is Arborescence of Wrath – consisting of vocalist Jason Keyser of Origin, drummer Simon Schilling of Marduk/Eucharist, bassist Charles Collette, and guitarists Jean-Pierre Battesti (formerly of Monument of Misanthropy) and Michel Beneventi. This group brings an array of musical influences, of which can mostly be ignored when it comes to Arborescence of Wrath, as the band has a singular focus: to pummel and destroy everything in its path with their debut release Inferno. This is fast and incredibly furious, and no, there’s no mention of “family” to be heard. Thank goodness for that, though these are the kind of tunes that should be blasting out of that beautiful 1970 Dodge Charger.
Introductory salvos “Wrath” and “Carnage” are fittingly descriptive of what to expect, as they’re both full throttle, drums a pounding, crunchy death metal akin to Krisiun, Aeon, with a helping of Hate Eternal to top it off. Keyser’s vocals have always been the best part of Origin’s music for this scribe, and he indeed delivers with screams that’ll tear down walls and growls that’ll shake the foundation of even the most well-constructed building. Dare we say, the breakneck pace exhibited here is the best fit for his vocal talents that we’ve yet to hear. Not that he doesn’t fit Origin, of course – he does like a glove – but this is so natural that it took us aback in a positive way.
Murderous sound bites/news clips are combined with clean guitars to form an ominous slow introduction on “Relentless Infights,” before the tempo explodes into action violently with little regard for anything in its path. An equally measured, but more melancholic start befalls “Holier Than You,” which includes creepy pianos and female operatic singing – unsure of who said singer is – to lull the listener into a false sense of security. Then, the wall of sound hits, which also includes some of the more memorable solos present on Inferno.
The guitar work is a driving force for Arborescence of Wrath, though these are the kind of tunes that should be blasting out of that beautiful 1970 Dodge Charger, and the duo of axe wielders Battesti and Beneventi have earned some recognition for their direct, hard hitting stylizations, notably on the grindy death brevity of “Cleansing Termination” and the measured yet still brutal as hell “Repentance.” There’s also an Immolation cover of “Into Everlasting Fire” from their 1991 debut Dawn of Possession; a modernized homage to one of the best death metal bands of all time. Was it necessary? Not really, but they did the original fair justice.
Don’t come into Inferno expecting something new, fresh, or mind bending, as it’s quite obvious that’s not what these fellows are after. Instead, prepare your eardrums for a focused, violent battering that will leave plenty of carnage strewn about. Arborescence of Wrath is meat and potatoes death metal done extremely well by a varying group of musicians that have come together for an album that hits all of the sweet spots. This is savagely fun, and when that to-the-point hunger needs satiated, put on Inferno to quickly satisfy.
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