REVIEW: Infant Annihilator – The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution [2012]
Artist: Infant Annihilator
Album: The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution
Rating: 9.75/10
Well, it’s finally come to this. After nearly a year writing reviews using dozens of synonyms for heavy, brutal or aggressive that had been ingrained into my brain as if by a branding iron, it’s finally reached this. With a heavy heart and an even heavier hand, I’ve had to resort to a thesaurus–for, quite honestly, my entire, well-nourished army of adjectives or verbs is neither expansive nor in-depth enough to properly describe The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution, devastating deathcore act Infant Annihilator’s debut full-length release. A goosebump inducing combination of dissonant, subterranean, crushing heaviness and dazzling, perfunctory technical brilliance, this album is every ounce the ultra-heavyweight contender for 2012’s most luridly punishing deathcore release.
Merciless-adj. Meaning: Showing or having no mercy. Merciless is definitely an apt way to describe the sheer pulverizing nature of The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution. With slamming heaviness pervasive throughout slamming breakdowns and shredding solos, there is quite honestly no end to the lacerating and punishing two-ton heaviness Infant Annihilator bring to the table. From the eery onset of A Serbian Film-influenced track “New Born Porn” all the way through the dwindling seconds of “Paedophilic Supremacy,” the album is incessantly punishing, combining flattening, decimating slams alongside mach-speed solos and shred-heavy riffs that will blister your fingers and callous your palms just by listening to them. What’s even more punishing is the misanthropic and atheistic concept behind the album–one of religious corruption and scandal, lifting a veil of lies and deceit to reveal a monstrous behemoth of betrayal. This behemoth provides the fuel to Infant Annihilators all-encompassing flame of hatred.
Corpulent-adj. Meaning: Large and bulky, typically relating to a lifeless body. The sheer dead weight of the steamrolling brutality which runs amok on The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution is flattening to say the least. Driven by rumbling, fill-laden and technically devastating drum work, the percussion functions as a momentous driving force behind the album which only allows it to slow down during the sludgiest, heaviest and most de-masculinizing breakdowns. “Cuntcrusher,” and the lead single “Decapitation Fornication” showcase this aspect of Infant Annihilator’s schismatic dynamic best, with mach-speed machine-gun blast beats dropping at the bat of an eyelash into skull-crushing, skin-rending breakdowns which seem to slow down time. In fact, the only negative about the band at all isn’t to be found in tracks like “Cuntcrusher,” but rather in their names: Yes, a band should never be judged by how they choose to name their songs, but all the same, each track seems to only try an outdo the shock-factor established in the previous title, making the album a chore to take seriously, and nearly impossible to talk to your grandmother about. All the same, while the songs titles are obtuse, the songs themselves are well above those of their peers, in both heaviness and technicality.
Lumbering-adj. Meaning: To trudge ominously, or move ponderously. While The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution moves slowly, as an enraged monolith crushing all in it’s path, it also moves thoughtfully, lacing in more than it’s fair share of tendon-severing shreddy solos. “Immeasurable Foetal Mutilation” does this brilliantly–carefully punctuating moments of nearly unmanageable brutality with jaw-dropping sweeps and marvelous drum work, not to mention consistently stellar vocal work. “Decapitation Fornication” is another song where Infant Annihilator’s technical prowess is put on center stage without sacrificing their penchant for the heavy. All of this is gilded by absolutely flawless vocal work which does nothing but amplify the resounding success in the lacerating, punishing, flattening dynamic the band have perfected with this release. Were it not for the combination of relentless, pulsing drums, bipolar, technical guitar and diverse, perfect vocal work, this 16-track mountain of an album would be nigh unclimbable.
So, you like your deathcore heavy, huh? Or was it gravid, massive, or unmanageable? Either way, this album most certainly has jus the right kind of earth-shattering heavy that will fit your need. With just the right amount of eye-opening technicality to prevent monotony, Infant Annihilator’s The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution is a journey every brutal deathcore enthusiast should take-if they can bring themselves to turn the acridly-named pages.
By: Connor Welsh/Eccentricism
For Fans Of: Oceano, Thy Devourer, Angelmaker, Face Your Maker
