Farewell

This is not your typical black metal. It's experimental without any intrusive synth work or uncalled for clean or female vocals. It's raw but not granular in riff sound or production. This was clearly a conception of retribution and a very focused hatred. The music herein is well written and well executed, excepting one flaw I just can't overlook: the use of programmed drums. Had a human played drums on this recording it would be damn near perfect. They did a good job of picking the right drum samples, and the guy who composed the drum tracks did the job rather expertly, as an experienced drummer would, but the synthesized percussion sounds are most glaring in the cymbal work. It's a minor gripe that only a drummer would bring up.

The album opens with a majestical air of grandeur and triumph; harmonious guitars and dream-like keys set the stage for the ensuing dirge in a stomping 6/8 meter. The tasteful use of discordant clean guitars matches well with the rasping, vitriolic vocal. The music throughout the record ranges from that of utter rage to ponderous introspection, the synth work is understated so that it colors rather than distracts, and the clean guitars are utilized very effectively. They actually add a unique element rather than sounding contrived or out of place. The record as a whole moves fluidly with an uninterrupted atmosphere of desolation and hate.

"Before The Locks of Twilight" is particularly fantastical with its archaic melodies calling forth images of sword and sorcery. "So... You dine with the grey beast, and share his chalice..." The central motif is like that of an evil minstrel, entertaining a dark court of brooding counts and countesses as they drink blood and revel in black mass. There is a sense of honor that is palpable through the obvious care that was taken in this recording. The music conveys a noble and victorious feeling of olden times.

This is the way clean guitars should be used. I'd call it the anti-Opeth. Clean doesn't necessarily have to mean major key, and these guys make their clean riffs sound truly evil, and they even play sans-distortion over double bass at times, which is a very underused concept in metal. I'm gonna feel like a real dick if this isn't a drum machine, but the cymbals totally give it away (seemingly.) As I said, the drums are composed in a tasteful, pocket-drumming fashion, as though written by an actual drummer, but I'll be damned if that's a human performance. Ah, who fuckin cares? This album is so well written that the point is virtually moot. The grim reaper cover art, though a bit cliche, is actually so striking that it compelled me to purchase this record, though I had no prior knowledge of the band.

Farewell kind of reminds me of Hammerheart. The song structures are two very different styles, and this album is far more hateful, but there is an eerily similar sense of nobility and self-efficacy to be found in the two records. Fortunately, Karcharoth killed himself so this work could be fully realized and Infernum's legacy left proudly intact and laid to rest. I love the liner notes: "Finally, we would like to thank Karcharoth for killing himself... If we were sorry it would be just because he died from his own hands, not ours..."

“Farewell” was composed and partially recorded by Karcharoth (aka Anextiomarus) and Capricornus back in 1996. Around this time Karcharoth (who also played in Graveland at the time) was kicked out of Graveland. Capricornus and Rob Darken then severed ties with Karcharoth due to the fact that he e.g. became a police informant, as the Polish police was investigating the local black metal scene. Infernum then remained inactive for a number of years. After Karcharoth’s suicide in 2004, Capricornus and Darken got together to finish “Farewell”.

During the years “Farewell” became some kind of mythical album to me. Every once in a while since the mid 90s I heard rumours about it maybe being released one day, so I kept my fingers crossed. In March 2005 that day finally came. The finished product was certainly worth waiting for and it sounds coherent too - not like it has been recorded in different sessions with several years in between.

The music isn’t as aggressive as on “Damned Majesty” and “...Taur-Nu-Fuin...” but it’s still very good, just calmer than before. Atmospheric Polish black metal in the early 90s vein with a mystical touch to it is still the name of the game. The main difference to the band’s previous material is that there are very few fast parts on this album and that there are a lot of clean guitars. An important ingredient for “Farewell” is the interplay between the guitars (both clean and distorted) and the synths. The beginning of “Reverence to the Obscure” really captivates the listener with its hypnotising guitar/synth combination, this part is in the same class as the “Det Som en Gang Var” track by Burzum. If you liked the way clean guitars are used on Veles’ “Night on the Bare Mountain”, you should definitely check out “Farwell” too, however the general feeling of the music is more pensive than on Veles’ debut.

There are times when the music feels a bit depressive as well but I’d still describe this stuff as mostly pensive and maybe a bit withdrawn. Somehow the material here makes me want to go deeper into myself and do some soul searching. I suppose the word “mature” can be used here, yes, this is definitely a more mature release than the previous stuff, yet it still keeps the Infernum essence. If you’re looking for another play-fast-and-scream-loud black metal album, this is definitely not it. “Black March” is the only song that has fast parts and some aggressive touches but also on this song the clean guitar parts are prominent. “Before the Locks of Twilight” relies very much on clean guitars and the distorted guitar is used more like a spice on this track. “Hisarna” is more along the lines of old Infernum stuff, in the vein of the track “Gammadion” from “...Taur-Nu-Fuin...” and it has no clean guitar parts at all.

The production is pretty raw but not bad and Capricornus’ drumming is better here than on the debut. The mixing is also better than on the debut in my opinion, as the guitar is more upfront and you can also hear the bass better. Capricornus’ vocals are competent but I do miss Karcharoth’s maniacal voice. Fortunately Capricornus does the vocals in a raspy manner, instead of the punky/hooligan style he uses in his own bands. There are only five tracks here and I wouldn’t have minded a few more. Then again I don’t know if Karcharoth had written more stuff for this album originally or not. The completion and release of “Farewell” after all these years is no cheap cash-in, the strength of the material will prove all who claim such a thing wrong.