Inferno EP, 2011

"This EP is the second release this year by the one-man black metal project Hrizg, who also released the full-length album "Anthems to Decrepitude" earlier this year. While there are plenty of blastbeats and tremolo picking in the five tracks on the album, the overall impression is that it is leaning towards the midtempo to semi-heavy side, and we are ultimately dealing with middle-of-the-road black metal. "Inferno" is by no means innovative (but who says it has to be)), but is is not totally uninspiring either. There is some variation to the music, as Hrizg often goes from semi-heavy midtempo passages to blastbeats and back again - some might find this annoying, while others might appreciate it... I really haven't decided which side I am on yet. What I really like about this release is that it is actually very melodic, as a lot of the riffage is darkly melodic due to the inherent harmonis in th echords, and Hrizg also make use of a lot of doom-ladden quasi-droning twin-guitar harmonies, which works really well. The production is kind of raw and lo-fi, without being unbearable, and this way Hrizg stays true to the working ethos of black metal. A solid, not too innovative, but not uninspiring, black metal release which emphasizes melody and melancholic desperation, "Inferno" would not be a complete waste of time, as it contains a lot of good stuff. (review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"