Armed with Enterprise Earth duo Gabe Mangold and Brandon Zackey to create the foundations for this self proclaimed furious rebirth, AD Infernum is the debut EP from Dead Icaarus, the new project from original Ateryu vocalist Alex Varkatzas. ‘Sellout’ bursts out the gate in breakneck speed that Unearth connoisseurs will be familiar with, only to settle into unspectacular radio friendly territory in its chorus. Gabe is given a fairly creative license on guitar and there is nothing insulting instrumentally but a return to ‘uncompromising’ and ‘brutal’ leaves one expecting it to bear heavier fruit. ‘Vultures Circle’ is breakdown laden and dominated by harsh vocals but it ultimately feels meandering and lacks direction.
Single ‘I Set Myself on Fire’ is perfectly fine and heavy enough to give the Enterprise Earth duo the platform to plant their flag on the track but it wades into the territory that goes against the mantra of the EP of wanting to be antithesis of what Atreyu has become. the title track present is the standout; it has the bounce of a well crafted metalcore track and unfamiliar shrieks of “I don’t care where it goes from here” gives a glimpse of that true heavy confessional assault Alex is determined to translate. The Pantera cover of ‘Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit’ is meant to enhance the attitude of the EP but it feels totally unnecessary and greatly hinders the progress of the tracks coming before it.
Influences from Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage are apparent and a quick scope of the reaction to the singles proves there is a dedicated audience for this. Fans feel Alex is back to his true self and no longer held back, so if the mission is to win over the lapsed Atreyu followers then he’s onto something. But for a casual listener it doesn’t live up to the mission statement.