Infernal Death

Recorded in December 1991 and released the following month, Twilight Tales is the first demo from the Polish band Infernal Death. This is primitive death/thrash, leaning more toward death, with a thin, serrated guitar tone and raspy, corpse-like vocals buried in a murky mix. At this point, these guys were still finding their sound, having just formed earlier in the year. It shows in the songwriting, which includes some weaker riffs that lack darkness or aggression. The mid-paced thrash bits actually work against the material and kill the momentum. The songs are a bit longer than necessary, so trimming the more mundane parts for a more focused, intense approach would have benefited them.

That said, "Bal-Sagoth (Otchłań zapomnienia)" is one of the better tracks and also the longest here. Featuring morbid riffs and haunting solos, it’s an example of everything coming together to create a dark atmosphere. The same goes for "Oto nadeszła...", where mid-tempo riffs conjure a funereal vibe. "Klątwa Lucyfera" and "Piekielna śmierć" have their moments too, thanks to some hypnotic tremolo riffs and a clear Celtic Frost influence bleeding through in the latter. All in all, Twilight Tales is a rather rough demo tape. Even though they were surely a work in progress, Infernal Death definitely showed promise here. Certainly worth a listen if you're into raw Polish death metal, but not essential.

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