Infected Chaos - Conjuration Overture – Vanity Is Dawning

We haven’t heard anything from Infected Chaos in the past since "Dead Aesthetics" from 2021 (which I had the pleasure to review), but it sounds like they’ve been hard at work improving their sound with their new EP “Conjuration Overture – Vanity Is Dawning.” This is a short, but refined slab of Death Metal from this Austrian five piece, and while some elements of the past album have been shed, the music has just gotten more brutal while still staying melodic. On their previous full length there was a bit more groove in the Vader factor meeting Amon Amarth; here it feels like a fully heavier version of Amon Amarth especially on the vocal front and from some of the riffs, but it just sounds louder and better this way. The opening ‘Come Eventide, Come Evenfall’ just churns with melody and aggression but it sounds balanced and right in the listeners’ face. The drums are the highlight here as they pound away along with the vocals which have just that right tone of growl. There even sounds like a little bit of Black Metal Dark Fortress tinge to some of the riffs, but overall one can definitely feel the more recent Amon Amarth vibes coming from it. The feeling continues with ‘Conjuration Overture – Vanity Is Dawning’ which crosses further into Amon Amarth riff territory as the music chugs along. It is a little bit of a rip off, but the vocals have those deep gutturals while still being discernible and the guitar solos soften up the aggression a bit without taking anything away.

‘Tehom’ features a very good balance of loud and melody with an almost Chimaira approach to some of the riffs and guitar whine, but this is a sign of the band starting to slow down a little bit. Even backing keyboards add some ethereal, spooky atmosphere as the focus shifts more towards just crushing vocal power to deliver all the rage while the guitars and drums and bass are more in the background for the melodic aspects. While this does tend to shift the focus away from the instrumental aspects and focus solely on the vocals, they come across clear and impressive showcasing that this particular vocalist can stand on his own and deliver something powerful. The band does delve away from the aggression and opt for a more Doom driven approach with ‘People of Ash’ which is a slow stomper, but still impressive while letting the keyboards have more of a say, even though the riffs do get a bit repetitive and a little bit boring compared to the previous tracks. However, it still closes the album on a solid pounding note. On will certainly wish there was more to hear but this is a great preview of where the band is headed. Obviously there might be less groove and head banging moments without the Thrash/ Groove elements like the more recent Sylosis album, but Infected Chaos still know how to create strong hooks with their music. It still hits hard and has a lot of power behind the riffs and vocals, even when it sounds like they are slowing down. “Conjuration Overture – Vanity Is Dawning” is a straightforward Death Metal/ Melodeath output with just catchy tracks and a booming voice to boot.

4 / 5 STARS