Review: “Infernotes” by Tweedledead

One fleeting glance at the cover artwork should be enough to confirm that the works of Tweedledead is going to be dark. A vision with an analytical eye towards the current social drift and the decline of modern civilisation which has roots in ancient times, “Infernotes” is the blackened and gnarly creation of a multi instrumentalist hailing from Latisana Italy. Known for his work in both Death and Black Metal bands (Sepolcral, Misos) in the 90’s, a couple of decades on the creative juices are clearly flowing once more…

Nothing short of a brutal sonic assault, “Remains” goes straight for the throat as an unrelenting blast of Death Metal delivered at breakneck pace. Like receiving 1200 volts from a taser, the opening barrage is a shock to the senses, the pulverising percussive battery and searing vocals leaving scorch marks in the ear canals as they burn with the sound of evil laughter. While the project is the work of a lone protagonist, that isn’t something that is apparently obvious, the use of vocal layering to give a shriller underpinning to the death growls giving the impression of a second vocalist. The horns are lowered before the charge head long into traffic that is “Anger Mud“, a cut that continues the bone crushing intensity with murderous intent. There is no fat to be trimmed with each razor sharp cut clocking in at under two minutes although comparisons to Death Grind should be disposed of because each cut is distinctly different, the leads on “Kingdom Collapse” being what separates it from the wolf pack baying for blood. There is no mention in the liner notes as to whether the drums are programmed or not, however if they are they are surprisingly sympathetic, an indication that there maybe a plan to take these songs into the live arena with a full band at some point. A Death Groove masterclass “Psychotropic Lies“, injects yet more adrenaline into the the rotting corpse and watches as it gleefully dances with the damned in the flames of the mosh pit in hell.

Restless and relentless the rhythmic battery continues into “Cain“, another vicious little ditty that maintains the energy levels as well as the quality because lets face it, there is no time for a power ballad in a Death Metal record of this stature. The album flaws you with the first track and then keeps on punching you in the face over and over again while you’re on the ground with no respite what so ever. Not that you’d ask for any. Approaching three minutes on the night side “Ad Extirpanda” has a 30 seconds or so of mindless self indulgence with some flamboyant lead play before changing gear and ploughing through the bodies like a hot knife through butter. Another fierce and fiery affair it brings to mind 90’s Death Metal bands like Deicide and Misery Index as it divides and conquers. Just when you think it’s not possible to get any more intense “Liars” finds another level to the venomous vocals, giving this one an even sharper cutting edge. It’s as if this one means something more, a little more personal, a little more raw and that carries across in very well. By the time “Queen” hits, the vocals start to sound like Max Cavalera from the early days of Sepultura on steroids, that deeper growl with accenting that you can’t quite make out sounding like it’s could create an earthquake at any point.

The sheer number of ear worm riffs on this record is what will keep you coming back to it time and time again, “Influcancer” being no different. A track about the cancerous growth of online influencers, it’s one that is very much on point in a World where the mind is easily corrupted by the power of social media, something that often goes underestimated. After that kick in the guts “Nightmares” keeps the punishment beating going with the kind of pummelling affair that the edge of the seat was made for. A fleeting spoken word moment in the centre is a nice touch but not one that prepares the discerning listener for the near four minutes that is “Sins“. A Molotov Cocktail of a track it has arguably the most savage of the vocals at it’s black heart, the elongated roars the audio equivalent of dragging the lake for the bodies. The longer duration means more time for a deeper, darker atmospheric to build, a boa constrictor to the throat rather than the switchblade and run approach of the earlier cuts. To that end it works incredibly well and bodes well for the next record, should there be one. The grand finale is “Rostov Butcher“, a tale about Russian serial killer Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo who slaughtered 57 victims between 1978 and 1990 and was executed in 1994. A cut which sonically summarises the album by bringing all the elements together, it’s one which disturbs a little more than the rest [8.5/10]

1. Remains
2. Anger Mud
3. Kingdom Collapse
4. Psychotropic Lies
5. Cain
6. Ad Extirpanda
7. Liars
8. Queen
9. Influcancer
10. Nightmares
11. Sins
12. Rostov Butcher

“Infernotes” by Tweedledead is out 22nd November 2023 via Lethal Scissor Records and is available over at bandcamp.