In my experience, there is no such thing as a bad one-man black metal project. Every single one I have heard has impressed me in some way or another, and Heresi is no exception to this rule. Although Heresi shares the misanthropic attitudes of other black metal soloists like Xasthur and Leviathan, the sound is significantly more technical and thrashy. Created by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Skamfer, formerly of Swedish black metal band Ondskapt, Psalm II: Infusco Ignis comes across as focused and well conceived. In fact, there are few full black metal bands that can put together as good an album as this one is.
To be honest, sound-wise, this album is relatively upbeat coming from someone who is quoted as saying, "It is always the right time to do lots of drugs and die." With the exception of one track, it's pretty fast, replete with unrelenting blast beats and vicious, yet catchy, riffs. And the production is perfect for the delivery, trebly but not too trebly. Another nice touch is the lyrics being all in Swedish. Something about the way Skamfer grunts "bevingad och försedd med horn" at the end of the song of that name sends shivers up my spine - in a good way, of course.
Psalm II: Infusco Ignis is true black metal at its very best: fast, raw, but catchy enough to warrant repeat listening. If I hadn't been told otherwise, I would never have guessed this was the work of just one guy. So, Skamfer, wherever you are, you kick ass. He doesn't drill the same riff into your head for eight minutes straight like some of his contemporaries; things never get monotonous and overall, the album flows perfectly from riff to riff. As awesome as Xasthur is, it's not something one can listen to on a regular basis without seriously considering suicide. Heresi, on the other hand, is just a little more listenable. Plus, it's way easier to headbang to.
I'm not sure if Psalm II: Infusco Ignis was meant to be an EP or full-length, but it doesn't really matter because it feels just about right, clocking in around 30 minutes. It has an epic feel to it, with four out of five tracks being five to six minutes long. Yet it doesn't stretch things out longer than necessary, leaving you satisfied but hoping for future material. There needs to be more black metal albums like this one.
