There is something very Cradle of Filth going on here. Portugal’s Darkside of Innocence have unleashed their debut album ‘Infernum Liberus EST’ and it is an impressive start to say the least. The atmospheres are very reminiscent of mid-era Cradle with a pinch of Dimmu Borgir’s heaviness and drop of Dark Fortress’s gloss. ‘Act II.I - An Impending Commence for Decay!’ invokes blacken doomy atmospheres of greats like Shape of Despair and Doom V.S, before breaking back into a blackened Mayhem esque ending. While the next track has a very old skool metal opening that builds into the hauntingly cavernous gothic bombast that makes up the general feel of this album.

 

Something that I really like and about this album, and is all the more impressive considering it’s a debut, is how well the songs are written. Tracks like ‘Act III.I - …Of a cursed dawn eclipsed’ effortlessly weave between fast, heavy as lead blasting, ethereal slower sections, and retro thrashing, with confidence of style and purpose that is very rarely seen in a band this early on.