Album Review – Infected Chaos / Dead Aesthetics (2021)

 Behold the new opus by this ruthless Austrian-South German Death Metal outfit, by far their most intricate, obscure and dynamic album to date.

Holding a giant mirror right in front of the rotten, perverted part of humanity, the ruthless Austrian-South German Death Metal Commando Infected Chaos returns to action with the follow up to their 2015 debut effort The Wake Of Ares and their 2017 sophomore opus Killing Creator, the pulverizing Dead Aesthetics, combining the brute force of contemporary, complexly poured death lead with a touch of the North American new school. Mixed by the band’s own guitarist Matthias Mayr at DC-Records, mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound and displaying a Stygian cover artwork by Wildan Slam Artwork, Dead Aesthetics is highly recommended for admirers of bands the likes of God Dethroned, Hypocrisy and Kataklysm, showcasing all the fury, talent and passion for extreme music by Christian Fischer on vocals, Matthias Mayr and Martin Hartmann on the guitars, Ronny Lechleitner on bass and Matze Wilhelm on drums.

Ominous sound permeate the air before Infected Chaos smashes us all mercilessly in When Yonder Calls My Name, a dark and melodic tune led by the classic drums by Matze, also presenting hints of Hardcore to make things more frantic; and Chirstian roars like a gruesome creature form the abyss in Hollow Chars, accompanied by the rumbling bass by Ronny and the sick riffs and solos by Matthias and Martin, resulting in an infernal creation that lives up to the legacy of old school Death Metal. A brutal, slammin’ and utterly awesome Death Metal raid comes in the form of Eager Breed the Gods of Pestilence, with Christian once again vociferating the song’s dark words manically, and there’s no time to breathe as the quintet pulverizes our souls with the demented Gehenna, a lesson in savagery and harmony where their guitars sound piercing and caustic, supported by the metallic jabs blasted from Ronny’s bass. Then Matze and Ronny make the earth tremble in Iron Nights, an infernal Death Metal extravaganza bringing to our ears another round of Christian’s inhumane gnarls.

Are you tired already? Because Infected Chaos will keep hammering our damned bodies with their brutality in And Thus I Fell, where the band’s guitar duo does an excellent job with their sharp and strident riffage, followed by Death Metal Shock Prayer, a straightforward, in-your-face metal feast spearheaded by the thunderous beats by Matze, sounding as hellish as heavy as it can be. Pitch-Black Fever is simply demonic form start to finish, or in other words, a bestial depiction of classic Death Metal by the band with Matze once again stealing the spotlight with his vicious and fierce drumming; whereas bringing elements from classic Norwegian Black Metal added to their core sonority, in special to their riffs and blast beats, the band fires the fulminating Away, keeping the album at a high level of violence and obscurity. Following such demented tune, a beyond sinister intro quickly explodes into a lesson in violence by Infected Chaos titled Lethargia, with Matthias and Martin slashing our ears with their razor-edged riffs, and closing the album it’s time for five minutes of darkness and heaviness entitled Of Death and Birth, not as electrifying as the rest of the album but still presenting Christian’s otherworldly growls.

The infected world of Death Metal crafted by Infected Chaos in Dead Aesthetics can be better appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but as usual if you consider yourself a true supporter of the underground you should grab your copy of the album from their own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon, and don’t forget to also follow them on Facebook and to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their sick creations. Dead Aesthetics is by far the band’s most intricate, obscure and dynamic album to date, showing not only the evolution in their musicianship and fury, but also that Austria, and of course the southern parts of Germany, are indeed an amazing source of musical brutality.

Best moments of the album: Hollow Chars, Eager Breed the Gods of Pestilence and Pitch-Black Fever.

Worst moments of the album: Of Death and Birth.

Released in 2021 Independent

Track listing
1. When Yonder Calls My Name 5:43
2. Hollow Chars 3:22
3. Eager Breed the Gods of Pestilence 4:04
4. Gehenna 4:28
5. Iron Nights 4:40
6. And Thus I Fell 4:52
7. Death Metal Shock Prayer 3:56
8. Pitch-Black Fever 3:36
9. Away 5:22
10. Lethargia 4:58
11. Of Death and Birth 5:20

Band members
Christian Fischer – vocals
Matthias Mayr – guitars
Martin Hartmann – guitars
Ronny Lechleitner – bass, backing vocals
Matze Wilhelm – drums

Album Review – Infected Chaos / The Wake Of Ares (2015)

In the wake of the god of war, it’s time to join this excellent Austrian band to the sound of their warlike old school Death Metal.

Rating4

infected chaos_the wake of aresFans of Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Entombed and old school Death Metal in general will love the violence found in The Wake Of Ares, the brand new full-length album by Austrian Death Metal band Infected Chaos. With an amazing artwork by JL Rey (Phlegeton Art Studio), and dealing with controversial topics such as suppression, slavery, gaining strength and revolting against it, The Wake Of Ares will surely awake that “spirit of war” inside you with its ruthless onrush of extreme music.

I don’t know exactly if this can be considered a concept album or not, as according to this Vils-based band the album title can be interpreted on two levels: the first related to Ares, the Greek god of war and the son of Zeus and Hera who usually represents the physical or violent and untamed aspect of war, being the supreme god of what the band calls the “blooddawn resistance”, while the second is a direct statement from Infected Chaos telling the world they are here to stay and, obviously, to crush each and every living creature that crosses their path.

I have already used the expression “calm before the storm” here at The Headbanging Moose before, and I have to apply that once again to the intro Rotting In Chains, with its occult atmosphere and eerie voices in the background, opening the gates for the brutal Death Metal tune Devours The Light to come crushing your soul. The deep growls by Christian Fischer are exactly what a Death Metal band needs, enhanced by the album’s clean and powerful production. Moreover, this song will make you go crazy into the circle pit, with the impressive bass lines by Florian Betz (who’s probably a huge fan of Alex Webster) together with its more melodic parts providing a great balance between harmony and cruelty. Ninth Circle, a song about death (or how the Ancient Greek people could have seen it) that begins as violent as the previous track, shows us that when Infected Chaos slow down they get fuckin’ heavy as hell, with drummer Christoph Raggl being completely merciless behind his drum set.

Christian’s vocals get darker and more demonic in Arson Anthem, where the guitar duo composed by Martin Hartmann and Matthias Mayr delivers pure Death Metal through their fierce riffs and solos, while Wolves In Thy Pantheon has a Cannibal Corpse vibe that makes it even more violent and amazing. Its riffs and blast beats reach a higher level of destruction, enhanced by some excellent guitar solos and background chants that add even more excitement to the song. The next track, Code Of IC, is just a simple declaration of love to Death Metal according to the band members themselves (by the way, IC is the acronym for Infected Chaos in case you haven’t noticed that yet), and they do it the most brutal way possible with an incredible assault of deep growls, nonstop drumming and huge doses of anarchy through its riffs and lyrics.

MMA02_bandphoto_infectedchaosAwaking Into Nightmare is a more introspective song that deals with a huge issue Christian had to face in 2013. Musically speaking, it keeps the album at a high level with more of the berserk sonic demolition proposed by the whole band, just like what happens in Strike From The Sky, where it actually feels like Infected Chaos come striking from the sky (or maybe from hell) with a feast of traditional Death Metal riffs and beats, perfect for breaking your neck. Then we have IA, God Of War, another great display of the skills by Florian on bass guitar and with a musicality slightly different from the rest of the album, focusing on more modern and metallic elements.

The final triad of Death Metal in The Wake Of Ares starts with The Silent Monolith, where once again the band invests in a sonority similar to the latest Cannibal Corpse albums, with an exciting rhythm tailored for banging your head on the front row during their live performances, followed by the sickest of all tracks, Blooddawn Resistance, a fictional underground movement created by Infected Chaos. I would love to see them playing this song live, as it’s the best of the album in my humble opinion and a flawless display of Death Metal where the whole band is kicking fuckin’ ass, in special frontman Christian for leading the “resistance” with an awesome vocal performance. And closing the album we have a song that its name says it all: The Sea Of Grief evokes darkness in a truly hellish and melancholic way, with even its guitar solos transpiring melancholy and sorrow.

To sum up, Infected Chaos are summoning all of you to join their “resistance” through their Facebook pageSoundCloud, BandCamp and at the Metal Music Austria official webstore with The Wake Of Ares, a great album perfect for all headbangers who love high levels of ferocity amidst a professional and thrilling sounding. In the wake of the god of war, it’s time we all join those Austrian metalheads to the sound of their uprising warlike Death Metal.

Best moments of the album: Wolves In Thy Pantheon, Code Of IC and Blooddawn Resistance.

Worst moments of the album: Ninth Circle.

Released in 2015 Metal Music Austria

Track listing
1. Rotting In Chains 1:03
2. Devours The Light 5:29
3. Ninth Circle 3:46
4. Arson Anthem 4:23
5. Wolves In Thy Pantheon 3:18
6. Code Of IC 3:52
7. Awaking Into Nightmare 4:30
8. Strike From The Sky 4:10
9. IA, God Of War 4:08
10. The Silent Monolith 3:33
11. Blooddawn Resistance 3:57
12. The Sea Of Grief 4:52

Band members
Christian Fischer – vocals
Martin Hartmann – guitar
Matthias Mayr – guitar
Florian Betz – bass
Christoph Raggl – drums