Ænigmatum - Infinitude’s Passage

Ænigmatum is a death metal band from Portland, Oregon who formed in 2017.  Their latest album, “Infinitude’s Passage,” is their third full-length; they have also released two demos. I reviewed their previous album, “Deconsecrate,” for Metal Temple five years ago and haven’t been wondering what happened to the band.  Then suddenly, they drop this harrowing slab of death metal called “Infinitude’s Passage” without warning.

This album is non-linear—if you are looking for something that is verse-chorus-verse then “Infinitude’s Passage,” may not be the album for you.  It’s bold, adventurous, and has many sharp turns around its corners among a world that’s stuffed with all kinds of things within its seamlessly endless corridors.  

Despite their tech/prog path, “Infinitude’s Passage,” is an album that is also focused.  Despite how wild their music can get, the band doesn’t forget that, at the core, they are a death metal.  As such, this album has a real weight to it, every piece is another layer of pressure that pushes further into crushing depths.  So this album is prog without coming off as prog, per say, but it’s death metal that most definitely stretches outside the confines of the genre.  In essence, it’s an album that you can pick up and play, headbanging all the way yet it’s one who’s depth will reveal even more nuances and secrets the more it is explored.

Let’s dive into three of my favorite songs on the album, shall we?

“Inseverable,” has an immediate opening with a kick ass solo.  This album isn’t solo focused with endless guitar masturbation, but when they do offer one up, it fits the pattern of the music incredibly well.  The sickening suffocating rhythm and bass bolster this solo and pushes into a riff-based passage where the drums really show off their impressive, thinking man’s fury.  I have also appreciated how both maddening and dismal this band can sound and “Inseverable,” nails down the band’s overall style perfectly.  The production works so well too, as it does for the album as a whole, because every instrument’s part can be heard equally as well; listening to this is almost like hearing it transform into place as it all comes together. The mix is the hero of the day though:  none of the individual parts are overly flashy and take from the experience created by the others. 

“A Tarnished Nexus,” is a unique experience.  The tone of the guitars is odd, in a good way; these riffs might be what could be considered melody for a band of this nature but it’s not bright and shiny.  The bass has an undercurrent that is all its own even while acting has a tight rhythm machine that keeps the song honest.  Some of the best riffs on the album are in this song but, most of all, I appreciate that it spends some time on a slower tempo—really letting the details of the song sink in.   The song speeds up overtime but it’s a subtle approach rather than an in-your-face blastathon.  The methodical nature of the band’s approach is always appreciated and never has it sounded more potent than on this banger.

I have to mention the title track.  The clean notes and melodic pass are a brief but welcome surprise in the song’s burgeoning moments.   From here to the 5:35 mark, this song incorporates blackened speed (those drums!) and a furiously brutal death metal sound. Afterwards, the band changes gears with saxophone and a jazzy passage that still manages to metal as fuck because of the double bass and low and slow guitars that rise up near the end.

The five years or so between releases has done nothing to dull Ænigmatum’s sound and instead has allowed them to focus and fine tune it to an impressive degree.  “Infinitude’s Passage,” see the band exploring their unique sound with uncompromising vision.  This album is one that any death metal head needs, doesn’t matter if they like it brutal or more expansive because they will get both out of this. 

Rating: Excellent