Review: “Arrival of a Train” by Tardigrade Inferno

They say that music soothes the savage beast but in the case of Black cabaret Avant-Garde Metal quartet Tardigrade Inferno that should perhaps be altered to music cheers the unhinged clown. The Russian quartet hail from St. Petersburg and have been slicing and dicing since 2016’s set titled EP, following it with a full length album in 2019’s “Mastermind” that features a cover of a cut by The Doors as well as one from the hit children’s TV series Lazy Town… which probably tells you all you need to know, but perhaps you should never judge a book by its cover. 2021 saw EP “The Worst Of Me” and single “Spooky Scary Skeletons” drop before all went quiet on the Eastern front. Mixed and mastered by Vladimir Lehtinen (Grima, Neorhythm, Ultar) at Blastbear Sound, “Arrival of a Train” marks the groups return, with vocalist Darya Rorria, bassist Maxim Belekhov, drummer Andrew Drew and guitarist keyboard player Alexander Pavlovich looking they escaped from Arkham Asylum having somehow got free from their straight jackets…

…The aesthetics of Tardigrade Inferno feel like they’re in a similar vein to Avatar with a macabre sense of unhinged fun written all over the band with each song elevated into more of a theatrical performance at a dark circus or grotesque carnival. This chapter in their story begins with the title track, a stomp-y Alternative Metal chugging as the band marches into town, Rorria using a variety of voices to deliver deranged vocals as if she’s suffering from a split personality. One moment she’s Sever from Canadian Alternative Metal act Sumo Cyco and the next she’s Tatiana Shmayluk from Ukrainian Progressive Death Metal act Jinjer – and everything in between. The metaphors flow thick and fast with a sense of gallows humour and yet it’s fearfully addictive and hilariously good fun at the same time, especially when the colossal breakdown hits. How can you not want to sing a long to lines like “The train is coming and everything you love will perish, I’m the last thing you will hear, chug, chug chug!“? The dance macabre continues with “Fire, Plague and Locust“, it’s off kilter groove and buried keys a master class in setting a mood, the intelligence of the lyrics and their delivery setting the band apart from the pack with verve and swagger. A stylish decadent black joke or bloodthirsty philosophical parable, Rorria is unstoppable as the ringmaster of this group of musicians and for her they have created a soundscape perfectly fitting.

A body shock horror filled affair, “Engine of Skin” dances on a twisted melody that approaches a Metal sea shanty as it pokes the finger at social media and a society that looks for perfection in everything to the point of destroying mental and physical health. Perfectly balanced sonically, the band need not do anything flamboyant, instead letting Rorria lead and laying a carpet of rose petals before her in the form of mid tempo guitars and driving percussion. The formula works very well, playing to the groups strengths as “Evoke” takes hold, stepping between clean vocals and dark spoken word, the one and only time that some accenting creeps in and gives away where the band come from. Synths add a sense of epic grandeur to this one, the opportunity for a solo stepped over in favour of an extended instrumental that borders on a breakdown without ever going all out. Finishing on a blood curdling roar from Rorria is the perfect way to end this dangerous record, how the hell this band are unsigned and not playing arenas with this material is a mystery [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Arrival of a Train
2. Fire, Plague and Locust
3. Engine of Skin
4. Evoke

“Arrival of a Train” by Tardigrade Inferno is out 17th May 2023 with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.