Metal Underground.com

Infernal Poetry is a death metal act that’s apparently been flying under the radar. The band just came to Metalunderground.com’s attention in early 2013, despite the fact that “Paraphiliac” is actually Infernal Poetry’s fourth full-length record across a career spanning back to the late ‘90s. Evolving outside many of the genre standards, the band’s latest release thinks outside the box quite a bit, offering a different take on death metal with a wide range of sounds.

The atmosphere of opening track “Preliminaries” gives the impression the music is building to some sort of occult black metal explosion, but the odds are defied and the sound twists in unexpected ways. “Paraphiliac” is unquestionably a death metal record, but it’s a much more modern take on death metal that includes more than a few groove and ‘core influences. The vocal work confuses the matter and is kind of hard to place, being less brutal and more discernible than the old-school grunt, but not having a melodic death metal feel either.

Each song easily has its own soul, with strong differences from surrounding tracks, all connected together by an overall stylistic direction. Several cuts off the album feature prominent technical outings, like the dizzying and repeating guitars on “In Glorious Orgy” or “Everything Means I.” There’s also the oddball “The Miss-Treated,” with its off-the-wall feel and “interesting” voiceovers, consisting of phrases such as, “I want you guys to spray your loads all over my pretty little face.” Closing track “Paraphilias” finishes off the recording with the strongest groovy metalcore sound, although it doesn’t really let up on the brutality front.

“Paraphiliac” isn’t exactly high-brow stuff (the track “Barf Together” should be a strong tip-off), and some of the lyrics will frankly make you wish you couldn’t understand the vocals. That being said, this is a strong outing for a lesser-known band that combines melody, brutality, and a technical edge for a satisfying death metal experience.