Blazing black metallers The Infernal Sea stream new album in full

As healthy as the British black metal scene has become of late, the return of Cacophonous Records - the legendary UK underground label that provided launch pads for Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Bal-Sagoth and more - looks set to to raise the flames even higher as it unleashes a new legion of bands on the warpath.

One of the first emissaries from the dark, Satanic Cacophonous mills are the Fenlands’ The Infernal Sea, a band plugged into the icy currents of black metal lore, but able to redirect then into thrilling new environments that range from the atmospheric to the eviscerating and with an epic full-length album, The Great Mortality, due to be released on February 19, we’re very proud to offer an exclusive stream of this ectoplasm-hurling entity in its full glory.

Ranging across many moods but with an Sauron-like unwavering focus, it’s an album that soaks up numerous strands from the black metal landscape, with shades of Winterfylleth’s ravishing surges, the chain-whipping groove of Taake and the ice-spewing diatribes of latter-period Kampfar, but drives on with an urgency that their influences sound like they’re merely in the band’s slipstream.

“The Great Mortality, says vocalist Dean Lettice, “takes the listener on an intense, visceral journey through the dark ages. Lyrically delving into the dark and macabre history of the Black Death that swept across Europe. Each track explores the sadistic nature of mankind during this time of despair and the violent acts and atrocities they committed to their fellow man. We are honoured to have been given the opportunity to release our art upon the world via the legendary Cacophonous records. A label that we all grew up following and listening to its essential offerings. With such a rich history it is imperative that we continue their legacy.”

Brace yourself and delve into the coruscating and contagious sound of The Great Mortality below!

Bring yourself to the boil at The Infernal Sea’s Facebook page here!

And pre-order The Great Mortality here!

Having freelanced regularly for the Melody Maker and Kerrang!, and edited the extreme metal monthly, Terrorizer, for seven years, Jonathan is now the overseer of all the album and live reviews in Metal Hammer. Bemoans his obsolete superpower of being invisible to Routemaster bus conductors, finds men without sideburns slightly circumspect, and thinks songs that aren’t about Satan, swords or witches are a bit silly.