Review: “Haunting Charnel Grounds” by Ifrit

Shrouded in mystery, the duo at the beating black heart of Ifrit have prior convictions in Exordium Mors, Nystagmus, Ardens Rejectio, Scorn of Creation and Dark Divinity. Hailing from New Zealand they recorded their debut album in various locations around Aotearoa before mixing and mastering at Maelstrom Brink Studio, calling on session musicians Jiji Aligno, George Prowse and David Arnold to provide lead guitars, bass and drums to help them match their vision. The promise is of a malevolent, ritualistic beast with occult leanings, so are you ready to embark on this journey into the depths of darkness?

A call from the void? A sinister summoning? The awakening of beast from the black depths? The introduction piece to “Haunting Charnel Grounds” sounds like it could be all of those things as it sends a chill down the spine and calls for the listeners attention in captivating fashion. Simple and effective it paves the way for the urgent Blackened Death Metal riffs of “Sites Unhallowed” which in comparison to the introduction sounds primitive and raw, the frantic soloing providing moments of pure energy in the ravaging occult surroundings. The record has the feel of a demo with a lack of depth in places in the sound, the bass in particular struggling to make an impact. That’s not an issue because the tracks have oceans of charm and its easy to see the bands direction of travel and thought process at each grizzly turn. After the monstrous opening track proper, “Salts of Penitence” lurches as it stomps before going full throttle with blast beats galore and ferocious harsh vocals. Even though a second vocalist isn’t credited it sounds like there is a shriller voice providing a backing vocal, this one sounding distinctly as though it was recorded live on the floor. Morbid Angel are cited as an influence which seems odd until you hear the sublime soloing at the end of the track which has Trey Azagthoth written all over it as flames spew from the fretboard in old school fashion.

The atmospheric “Howling Catacomb” proves that Ifrit can create something sinister when they crack their skulls together before the knife rises once more, the track providing more thrills and spills that a Lucio Fulci classic. Indeed there is so much going on here that you’ll hear something different each time you listen to it, the frantic and frenetic riffs and restless and relentless drumming threatening to spill over into something more avant-garde. The lightening bolt of an eclectic solo is the metaphorical icing on the cake. Violent and miserable, each of the original works feels like a punishment beating from an otherworldly being. A cover of the Von classic “Watain” gives the track a new lease of life while providing another insight into the influences of Ifrit, this version having all of the blood lust of the original but also has an undercurrent of 90’s Florida Death Metal to bolster it. A journey down the left hand path in the dead of night, “Haunting Charnel Grounds” feels very much like death is only the beginning and hints that primordial terror awaits… [7.5/10]

1. Intro
2. Sites Unhallowed
3. Salts of Penitence
4. Howling Catacomb
5. Watain (Von Cover)

“Haunting Charnel Grounds” by Ifrit is out 6th September 2024 via Brilliant Emperor Records and is available over at bandcamp