UMUR
"The Patchwork Gehinnom" is the third full-length studio album by Polish black metal act Iperyt. The album was released through Pagan Records in December 2017. It´s the successor to "No State Of Grace" from 2011 and features one lineup change since the predecessesor as bassist Abuser has been replaced by Vincent.
Iperyt play an industrial tinged extreme metal/black metal style featuring programmed drums. That description probably puts off at least half of the readers of this review, but please read on as Iperyt are an act who have something to offer. The tracks are dark, aggressive, and powerful black metal but the programmed drums provide a cold futuristic atmosphere, and this is one of the few cases where programmed drums actually have some merit. They are not here just as a replacement for a human drummer, but they actually contribute to the soundscape adding the right gloomy industrial atmosphere to the material. Compared to the earlier releases by Iperyt, "The Patchwork Gehinnom" is their least industrial tinged release though and it´s much closer to black metal than industrial metal. The vocals are snarling and aggressive and Iperyt shows mastery of both blasting fast-paced parts and heavy mid-paced parts. It´s the depressive atmospere and a feeling of hopelessness which are the defining elements of "The Patchwork Gehinnom". In other words this is a pretty bleak release with absolutely no light in sight.
"The Patchwork Gehinnom" is well produced and it manages to both pummel the listener with an abrasive and massive layering of guitars, bass, programmed drums, sound effects, raspy black metal vocals, and the occassional samples, but also challenge the listener´s intellect with some intriguing details. The songwriting is effective but slightly one-dimensional other than the atmospheric "Scars Are Still Sexy" and album closer "Checkmate, God!", which shows a slightly more melancholic version of Iperyt, stepping outside their usual black metal style and adding some semi-melodic raw vocals instead of the snarling vocals. "The Patchwork Gehinnom" is overall a strong release from Iperyt and probably their most accessible up until then. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
