Dimenticatoio #10 - Italian Black Metal webzine [Extract #4: Art Inferno]

Ancora una volta dalle pagine ritrovate di Italian Black Metal ripeschiamo alcune immagini ed info riguardanti gli Art Inferno, tornati giusto quest'anno in attivitá a distanza di un'eternitá dal disco di debutto "Abyssvs Abyssvm Invocat", pubblicato dalla Scarlet Records nel 1999.

[NOTA: la webzine proponeva la biografia della band per motivi promozionali.]

Art Inferno (ex-Journey Through The Dark) was formed in the gloomy Autumn 1993 on the initiative of the guitarist Magister Acheron, availing of Nerio on the voice and Martyrium Grinder on the drum; they are the only elements surviving to the original line-up, which was at the first composed by 5 members, including as special- guest for more than a year the singer and bass player of another well-known italian band: Glacial Fear. Soon after a sixth member was introduced on the keyboard.

In January 1995 the band revolutionazed the line-up, reducing itself from 6 to 4 members, in connection with a stylistic evolution towards more symphonic and gloomier sonority, and leaving the typical brutal american approach of the beginning. In March 1995 was released the debut demo "Screams of sirens", a concentrate of dark death/black metal, which has received very good responses from magazines and fanzines and rousing the attention of several underground labes and taking part to various compilation, the most important of which is the CD-compilation "Dawn of Gods Vol.1" on Metal Horse Prod.

After different contacts, a deal was signed with Nosferatu Recs. for a mini-CD called "...Among secrets", which was released on February 1997 and containing an original mix of death/black metalwith dark and symphonic influences. The responses was unanimously excellent and exciting. After this release the band played some live-shows around Italy.

At the end of 1997 Art Inferno become a trio because of the defection of the keyboardist: Magister Acheron (guitar/keyboard), Nerio (bass/vocals), Martyrium Grinder (drum). At the end of 1998 a deal was signed with the most important and active italian label "Scarlet", and in November 1999 was released a full-length CD called "Abyssus Abyssum Invocat", a supreme gate to the most nightmarish dimension... This 56 minutes-opera comes with a wonderful artwork and a superb production and it mirrors the deepest seeds of horror, despair, cruelty, majesty, poetry and drama: this evil incarnation includes 10 cursed hymns where black metal merciless savagery is enriched by martial wagnerian music, macabre, morbid and perverse ambient-esoteric atmospheres and Teutonic thrash aggressiveness, in order to create an unique masterpiece of Symphonic Esoteric extreme Art!

"Abyssus Abyssum Invocat" is a majestic chamber of horror and mysteries and was acclaimed from several European magazines as Symphonic/Esoteric Black Metal at its best! A new guitarist, Styge, and a new keyboardist, Gorgia, joined the band after the release of "Abyssus Abyssum Invocat", and actually the band is plannig some gigs around Italy and at the same time is composing new stuff for the next album, something really spectral and hallucinated...