Band : Infernal Poetry

Album Title : Nervous System Checking

Label : Red Skies Society

Distributor : Hardebaran - Bertus

Release date : 15/01/2007

Release : MCD with bonus multimedia

For a closer look at this Italian quintet's history, please turn to the review I did of their Beholding The Unpure album (released in Benelux on 21/11/2005, posted a month later on the 22 nd ). Mind you, when you do read up that review, that I made a little mistake as to the cover they play (It's Iron Maiden 's "Fear Of The Dark" , and not Diamond Head 's. Remember that Maiden has a ' Harris ' in their line-up whose Christian name also answers to the initial " S "!). Since the Italian release of that album in January 2005, the band recorded a video for the song "Crawl" during May, putting it on-line from June on. Early October sees the band signing to Belgian promotion hiuse Hardebaran , and later the same month, they started (and finished) work on 4 new tracks, reporting 'em to be "...more hyst eric and schizophrenic than ever!!!".

Thanks to the new deal, the band finally make it out of Italy for the 2 nd time (a first time was in 2000 as support of Impiety and Rotting Christ ) for a serious European tour with Sweden's Dismember , Germany's Debauchery , and Switzerland's Requiem during the latter part of February 2006 (footage of a part of the gig at Hogeveen's Het Podium would later be posted on the band's website infernalpoetry.com, where interested parrties can invest on   many more musical and visual goodies). Meanwhile the band keep compiling interesting concert (and festival) possibilities. The deal with Hardebaran eventually also results in the schizophrenic quintet being signed to Red Skies Society , a Hardebaran subsidiary. First IP releases include, firstly, the remastered and augmented re-issue of Beholding The Unpure (Nov. 2006) for the Benelux, France, and Germany. As bonusses, the videos for "Hell Spawn" and "Crawl" are included. In the multimedia section you'll also find just under 11 minutes audio live recordings of the band at the June '06 edition of Gods Of Metal festival.

Secondly, there's the release of this 4-tracked mini-album, featuring the 4 aforementioned songs...and the way the band itself described those tracks is absolutely to the point. Gone are the breaks and pace changes, and along with it the previously present resting points. Both musically and vocally, the schizophrenic part of the project has been enhanced to an almost un-endurable and incredible maximum, and while the listener is compelled to push that "play" button time and time again, he does this with trembling finger, as he's somewhat reluctant to unleash all that frenzy upon himself again...but then, after 13 ½ minutes, you see your finger goin' to that "play" button yet again, with a feeling that resembles a form of horror and desperation at the same time as a feeling of disbelief of the fact that this hand which is reaching for that button is indeed yours!

When you've finally seen yourself able to tear yourself away from the hypnotic music, and put the disc in the pc to find out what the multi-media holds, you find it's the same as on that re-issue of BTU , meaning you get the 2 videos, and 3 live tracks (including the Iron Maiden cover) recorded live. Weirdly enough, you'll find a camera man in the credits for that audio footage. Still, it's just audio material...go figure that one out! Sound quality seems a little less here, but what do you want from concert recordings?

Later this year, the band plan to release their 4 th full-length, a deed which I am anticipating eagerly! Meanwhile, this mini-album already gets featured in that "Best Albums Of 2007"-list of mine (even if it's not a full-length)!!!

98/100

Tony.