Artist: Infernal Mantle
Country: United Kingdom
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital
Year: 2026
In the spring of 2025, I pored over the debut demo by Infernal Mantle, a one-man Black Metal band from the United Kingdom. Although my final verdict was more than positive, the 3-track demo did have a few minor “flaws” that I was reasonably sure would be resolved with the release of a full album. After all, a demo is essentially meant to be a way to try things out and not necessarily to present something perfect right away. A demo is also a kind of calling card, a kind of teaser. ‘Raise The Banners Of Satans Front’ fulfilled that role perfectly. Now, almost a year later, Infernal Mantle is presenting us with the full-length album, so there was plenty of time to iron out all the rough edges.
The term “flaw” may sound far too negative, because I didn’t really feel that there were any real mistakes or anything of that nature. Within the three tracks of Raise The Banners Of Satans Front, released on cassette by Diabolical Vitriol, it felt as if Infernal Mantle was still trying to find its direction. It also seemed as if the songs had not all been recorded in the same session. As a result, there was no real coherent flow to the music. But what was clear above all else was that the talent for writing strong old school Black Metal songs shone through in each of the three songs.
On this first album, which at just over 20 minutes is perhaps a little on the short side, all three of the above findings still apply. Albeit to a slightly lesser extent and at a clearly more advanced stage of forming a unified body of work. Much of the music is still based on the Black Metal of around the turn of the millennium. A vibrant period for Black Metal, in which various subgenres and local scenes took shape. The music is melancholic, melodic, and sometimes even atmospheric, as well as raw and clearly based on the aesthetics of late 90s and early 00s Black Metal. The blueprint still seems to be firmly grounded in the Finnish Black Metal of Satanic Warmaster and Sargeist, but bands such as Moonblood, Judas Iscariot, and even Maniac Butcher also echo through the tracks.
That slight lack of coherence is now much less evident and even has a certain charm, making it seem even more authentic. In fact, this could have been a tape from some thirty years ago. As a “bonus,” a demo version of one of the songs has also been added, so you can hear that the original ideas sprang from an even rawer source. Now all that remains is to release it in physical form…
