The South African veterans are back to showcase their depth and maturity on an album that leaves fans wanting more.
Infanteria needs no introduction; they have reached the top of the mountain on numerous occasions even representing South Africa on an international level at festivals like Wacken. They have also been responsible for some of the heaviest music to come out of South Africa in the last twenty years. Their last album titled, Serpents Conquer was released almost seven years ago and was received favorably, after a long interval the Metal giants have returned with, Patriarch.
Patriarch is made with clinical precision, but in all the tidiness of the project is chaos everyone can relate to. Infanteria manages to successfully elevate musically whilst innovating and showing more depth often in ways that remind the listener that each band member is a seasoned musician.
The album opens with, “Burnt Relic”; the song sets the tone for what is a high-powered record. If anyone had forgotten about the capability of this band, this song does well to serve as a reminder. It ushers in the broody and dark nature of the album. The album bursts with the sort of energy one would expect from the band, but with their signature speed is a more refined presentation.
The experimentation and the recurring theme in the lyrical content make it clear that the band has borrowed from Progressive Rock. Infanteria is a well-oiled machine and it shows. Patriarch executes something so few artists do well by successfully merging two genres that seem worlds apart into one with relative ease. They maintain Thrash Metal with a tinge of Progressive Rock but never skip a beat in keeping with a sonic consistency. The duality of the album is best illustrated in the longer songs on the offering, “Into the Depths”, Swansong” and “Patriarch” serve as brilliant examples of the careful consideration and mastery involved in the making of this album. The light and shade of this album are uncanny and unlike anything, the band has done. Vulnerability shows itself in, the ballad titled, “All I’ve ever lost” creating a breath of fresh air on the fast-paced album.
It so rarely happens that a band both innovates and grows significantly in a way that shows in a single project, Infanteria manages to do this flawlessly on Patriarch – their return to the music scene after years proves them a force to the reckoned with. Infanteria’s powerhouse record involves keen insight into issues listeners can relate to; this adds value to what this record is. This album is a brilliant culmination of a band’s musical point of view. Patriarch is a strong contender for album of the year.
9/10
Reviewed by Refiloe Mathelela
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