When Necromantia chose to walk The Fiery Path in 1993, the still-young Black Metal scene was struck like lightning. That album functioned as a boundary marker: a work that fused occult gravity, ritualistic atmosphere, and an uncompromising vision into a form whose resonance is still felt today. It is therefore tempting, perhaps inevitable, to draw comparisons whenever a band ventures into esoteric or infernal territory. The question of whether the German Infernal Presence operates in that same lineage arises almost naturally.
The answer, however, is an unequivocal no. At most, a handful of extremely minimal points of contact can be detected in terms of atmosphere or thematic inclination. Musically and compositionally, Infernal Presence follows an entirely different trajectory. Where Necromantia once paved The Fiery Path, Infernal Presence merely enters a vaguely comparable symbolic space in an abstract sense, not as disciples or continuators, but as a separate entity with its own origin, intent, and ideological framework.
Formed in 2023, Infernal Presence now presents this EP, two years later, as the first fully realized, tangible manifestation of their vision. The band embraces an aesthetic that deliberately rejects overproduction and modernist embellishment. Raw structures, an unfiltered approach, and a clear disdain for polished extremity dominate the sonic landscape. This is Black Metal stripped of excess, focused instead on essence, conviction, and atmosphere.
The physical editions reinforce this mentality. Darkness Shall Rise handles the vinyl and CD pressings, executed with the restraint and reverence such material demands, while LowFidelityAssaults is responsible for the magnetic tape edition. Each format feels purposefully chosen, emphasizing materiality and intent over convenience or trend.
Infernal Presence does not seek to resurrect the past nor to emulate its monuments.
Instead, this EP stands as a declaration of autonomy: austere, deliberate, and rooted in a vision that exists outside nostalgia or imitation. It is not a continuation of The Fiery Path, but a different descent altogether—one that unfolds on its own terms, in its own darkness.
80/100
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