One of those odd bands that you stumble across randomly that never gets mainstream loving, Italian mentalists Infernal Poetry knocked me sideways a few years ago with their second full-length Beholding The Unpure. It was pretty darn unique for death metal, so what with time and other obligations preventing me from from covering 2009's Nervous System Failure at the time, it's only fair I make up for it now by reviewing their latest for my first official review of 2013's fare. And although I first thought the band had toned it down slightly, it's clear that there is no real shift in sound; Paraphiliac is only very slightly less mad than previous efforts, where it was usual for a song to pause in the middle for some gasps and groans from vocalist/mental patient Paolo Ojetti. Infernal Poetry are a ridiculously enjoyable listening experience, the band's crunchy and competent death/thrash given an avant-garde edge, capable of firing off in any direction. Early-Mudvayne-gone-metal is still the best way I can think of to describe it, mixing that band's groove and unpredictability with metal's technicality and love of the riff. And Paraphiliac channels that groovy death/thrash into a focused attack, a step down from the previous mad heights but still very leftfield and distinct in a scene known for similarity.

It's a fun album. You can't fault the way that tracks like In Glorious Orgy are put together, taking a melodic death base and adding laying of heaviness, vocal roarings and rhythmic drum batterings churning away whilst the guitarists widdle merrily to themselves between bouts of chugging - it works damn well, despite being pretty repetitive. Yet even so the band hold your attention rather than boring you, and keep the songs distinct and ever-changing. Hypertropic Jellyfish is probably the maddest song present, Ojetti ranting and raving between shouted choruses atop a wonderfully alive morass of riffs and guitar leads. The track ends in almost proggy instrumental meandering, giving a hint of their more 'serious' side before fading out. It's a tribute to the band generally that Everything Means 'I' is all modern and groovy, while the following Barf Together starts at lightspeed thrash riffing, slowing down to bass-punctuated stabs - the sheer energy put into the album is commendable.

I do have some mild criticisms - sample-filled The Miss Treated feels out of place as the penultimate track here, when it would have made a gloriously offkiltre introduction to replace the slightly dull Preliminaries. And the title track, coming at the end of the album, is slightly incongruous pure ferocity, Paolo breaking out a brutal death metal grunt that could have been used in plenty of places throughout to wonderful effect. You can't fault it here, though, the track a vicious one with backing gasps and tribal percussion put to great use. All in all, Paraphiliac as hard to recommend as any music with originality is, but it's certainly a must for fans of death/thrash looking for something that stands out from the crowd.