With a desire to create fast, brutal, and extreme symphonic black metal, the evil trio known as Insane Devotion from Brazil was formed in 1996. With only one full-length release from 2005 entitled Slaves Will Serve, the band went onto other extreme projects until regrouping this year for their latest album Infidel. Their latest offering is spewed from the blackest corner, with plenty of aggression, and symphonic elements that mix very well in between.

Son of Hate kicks off the record with a heavy tone, with keyboards that give it a cynical feel. The slower start to this song is later swallowed by an extreme rush of thrashy black metal until ending things with a tough devilish march. The following track Obscure Blackened Night takes on a punishing and extreme vibe from the get go, sounding a bit like Poland’s Vader. Keyboards this time provide a different sound this time around, one that feels a bit techno, but still remains dark in essence.

The album may drive out the extreme moments of animosity quite often, but songs like Bad Machine will slow things down a bit to create a heavier more menacing sound that can be truly neck jarring. The Rite of Winter also pulls back from the extreme blast beating and hate fueled guitars, but still maintains its intimidating nature. The final lengthy 12 minute track Mass Murderer ends the album on a high note, using the orchestral sounding keyboards at the start to build up the anticipation, until the song rips out with intensity. Though once the song may erupt in ferociousness, the final track balances the slower and extreme sides of the band very well, but also incorporates a beautifully dark and epic atmosphere to polish it off.

For an unsigned band, Insane Devotion completely surprised me. Combining the extreme, the symphonic, and even some death into the mix, Infidel is a rock-solid outing through the fieriest hell.