Caina - Earth Inferno Tape

The end of 2013 saw a shift amongst one of the UK's most prolific small labels. Church of Fuck, which had previously released tonnes of hardcore/crust/sludge releases showed it's darker hand, by releasing it's first full black metal release. Caina took a break in 2011 after it's last release, the album Hands That Pluck. At that point, while working with Profound Lore Records. Caina then resurfaced in November of the following year. This awakening saw sole member A. Curtis-Brignall release Litanies of Abjection in 2013, swiftly followed by Earth Inferno in December of that year.

Earth Inferno sees Caina stepping back into the shadows of black metal after a period of exploring a more abient path. Featuring four unreleased tracks recorded between 2008 and 2011 as well as a new track, it's a precursor to Caina's new album which is due out in 2014. It also features guest vocals from the vocalist Laurence Taylor of Manchester's Cold Fell.

Tracklist:-

1. The Last Lantern
2. Conqueror Worm
3. Macun
4. Death Posture
5. Teeth Eating Teeth

Earth Inferno sounds as terrifying as it’s title suggests. The drums create that ice-cold blast of hatred, the guitars in the background lend a hazy, dread-filled buzz and the feverish growls are the icing on the proverbial cake. Caina’s previous flirtation with ambience is still obvious during the opening track The Last Lantern, where after the opening passages, the song features more melody from the guitars and counteracts LT’s higher-pitched screams. This opening song proves that the black metal embers are well and truly burning back to life.

Caina’s black metal is the sort of harsh noise that will scare off weaker ears. The Conqueror Worm is the embodiment of that from the start, but this time Caina experiments more with changing song structures. When the vocals fall away, you’re left with more ethereal textures. It becomes more majestic and almost symphonic at times, with the guitar producing a grand orchestral-like sound. Things take peaceful yet menacing twist with Macun. The noises that emanate from the speakers sound more aboriginal and heathen, but seem to sit right amongst it all, giving Earth Inferno a cosmic edge. It’s minimal and does threaten to break into another black metal onslaught as the feedback builds and then dissipates. The whispers punctuated by sudden screams keep things crawling forward.

After the relative calm of Macun, Caina’s assault continues with Death Posture, which seethes and ouses with more blackened atmospherics. The volume level seems to rise during the song, taking it to head spinning heights of dissonance and feedback. Ending with the final salvo of Teeth Eating Teeth, which is my standout track on Earth Inferno, Caina manages to inject new life into the abject despair felt in the previous songs with melody not before heard and a very different sound, yet one that is still in keeping with the EP as a whole. Caina only allows this shift to continue for half of the song, before taking Teeth Eating Teeth back to the shadows.

Earth Inferno can be heard here:-


You can purchase it digitally from CoF's bandcamp page above or if you want the physical tape, head here - http://churchoffuck.bigcartel.com/product/cof32-caina-earth-inferno-cassette.

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