Every so often, we bear witness to a band that manages to do far more than simply succeed in what style they happen to perform. For some, a band becomes the absolute embodiment of what the sound can be, to the point that when one thinks of the style, then that name is what immediately comes to mind. Technical death metal is no different with all sorts of superb talent coming out of the woodwork as the genre has become the beast that it is today, but few can compare to what Inferi has done for the sound. Any fan of technical death metal should instantly know who they are, which makes the prospect of new material from them both tantalizing and somewhat terrifying.

Can a band with such a magnificent catalog deliver once again and show its listeners why they were at the top of the food chain in the first place? Many might fold under such pressure and offer us something that can vary from mildly underwhelming to an outright disappointment. Inferi, though? It’s almost a fool’s errand to worry about the name’s quality with “Heaven Wept” picking up exactly where the modern legends left off.

It’s been five years since Inferi’s last outing, 2021’s “Vile Genesis”. In that time, the genre has been anything but stagnant, but the lack of a presence from Inferi in the way of new material really left a hole in what the genre was offering us, yet we were left to have nothing but faith that Inferi would not only eventually return to us but come back in such a form that makes us realize any and all worrying was a pointless endeavor. For everything that’s been brought forward with “Heaven Wept”, it ought to be exceedingly clear that such is precisely the case. From the very beginning, “Heaven Wept” makes itself known as not just a creation with massive balls and magnificently sharp teeth and talons to match the ferocious presence that Inferi boasts, but it feels like the next natural step forward for Inferi as a whole. I am not nearly knowledgeable enough when it comes to the technical aspect of what’s going on here, but there’s just something about “Heaven Wept” that feels different, and I just can’t quite put my finger on it. This feels like the most mature that Inferi has been with every given track here nothing short of Inferi just going for it, pulling it off fantastically, looking damn good in pulling it all off, and having a glorious time while doing it.

“Heaven Wept” feels like Inferi, plain and simple. It’s everything we’ve come to expect from the act and maybe just a little bit more. I will refrain from pontificating as to whether or not this is the best work from Inferi to date. That’s a conversation for another time, but damn if it isn’t good to see these guys back at it once again and demonstrating just why they’re one of the faces of modern technical death metal in the first place.

LISTEN to “Heaven Wept” on Bandcamp here.

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