Infaust - Muster 12" and 10" vinyl
Info
An astute reader with superb musical taste recently recommended that I check out this German trio, and I found myself ordering Muster on CD shortly after perusing the album on YouTube. Two members of Infaust had previously been in a metallic punk band called Hypocritical Society, and you can sort of hear how that group built into this Godflesh/Christdriver brand of industrial metal meets occasional bouts of skronked-out noise rock and Neurosis-esque tribalism.
Toward the end of the disc, "Rausch" was one of my immediate favorites with its dense, dark, pounding rhythms and eerie melodic drones—the vocals following suit by blending gruffness and that "grunting in key" style of "singing." The piece also highlights the excellent balance of the production—displaying the strengths of a trio that allows every instrument room to breathe. I mean, how 'bout those active bass runs!?
Infaust would go on to issue a split 7" with Corrupted five years later and a self-titled 12" EP in 2004, but to my ears Muster seems to be the most interesting of their releases as a whole. As with much of what I've been covering lately, you can pick up relatively inexpensive copies on Discogs—take your pick of CD or LP in this case. (If you're in the U.S., I bought mine from Armageddon Shop and it was in absolutely beautiful condition, so I highly recommend their services.)
