Ad Vitam Infernal - Le Ballet Des Anges

France’s Ad Vitam Infernal scorch ears once again with their second full length album, “Le Ballet Des Anges” just four years after their debut. Formed in 2017, this duo creates Death Metal rooted in the 90s era, though despite their rather early 90s approach in the vein of Deicide and Morbid Angel with their debut album which was rather concise, the band has decided to deliver more tracks this time with shorter length and progressed more towards a later 90s sound, more adopting a faster, less thrashy route in the vein of Immolation and Hate Eternal. Whereas their debut album was more guitar focused, here Ad Vitam Infernal create a bigger, bombastic sound by upping the focus to the drums and vocals, delivering a very loud, fast album that is sure to appeal to fans who enjoyed the recent Disloyal that came out earlier this year in 2024.

The album opens a bit more on the dramatic side with ‘The Overture’ to keep that theatrical feel to the album, but quickly ramps up with ‘And the Watchers…’ This track hits hard and fast without any easing, and right off the band one can tell the production has been upped and those drums just sound fantastic. While they are programmed by both guitarist/ bassist Jerome Mahe and vocalist Samuel Girard, they are the highlight of the album as they hit with the force of Hate Eternal while the guitars and vocals ooze along in that dark, somewhat fuzzy but clear Immolation style. The vocals are venomous and somewhat layered, but still clear and the solos crisp. While it is noted that many of the tracks are shorter than they were on the debut, listeners should not feel cheated of their time, and will enjoy the enhanced sound. The poundings of ‘Shemihazah…’ along with ‘I Saw Everything’ show no mercy and feature that smattering blastbeat upon blastbeat attack that groups like Werewolves present and it sure to start a mosh pit frenzy. Some might feel the lack of ‘slower’ moments relinquishes some of the classiness of earlier influences like Slayer from previous efforts, but one cannot deny that Ad Vitam Infernal really stepped up their game in the Death Metal department and certainly came to deliver something extremely heavy this time around.

Ad Vitam Infernal’s tracks while fast and somewhat brief, try to be varied here and there. Some tracks do a slower crawl introduction to hook listeners in rather than blow them off their feet such as ‘A Peaceful Place To Wait…’ and ‘I Saw Everything.’ Here the ferocity is reined in a bit, but in place of the endless blastbeats are chugging grooves that one cannot help but headbang too. The drums opt for that more percussive strike like cannons versus machine gun fire, and the vocals get more of chance to bellow clearly as sometimes it feels they are competing with the drums during the faster tracks. While the album does seem to lean more towards the Hate Eternal side of things as things draw to a close, listeners will be left impressed regardless if they preferred the more oozing, fuzzy side of the music versus the faster, blistering side the just scorches, especially when it comes to the solos. “Le Ballet Des Anges” is certainly a step in the right direction and huge improvement over their debut, despite being less varied in delivery. While some will feel less is more, those who like Death Metal straightforward and well produced that hinges towards the more well known behemoths like… well… Behemoth… will find Ad Vitam Infernal the awesome blastbeat to the gut they’ve been looking for. A fast, exciting album that leaves no ear unscathed.

3.5 / 5 STARS