Patriarch by Infanteria

The Sound & Visuals
“Patriarch shows a darker and more brooding side of Infanteria. From the music, down to the ghostly and ethereal artwork that Tim (Bass) brought to life to match Chris’ vision for the album.” Adrian Langeveld (Drums)

Current vs. Previous Albums
“This album, for me at least, has a maturity to it when listening compared to Where Serpents Conquer or Isolated Existence. From the production to the music, a bit more of a swagger and confidence, without trying too hard to outdo everything released prior.” Adrian Langeveld (Drums)

The Type Of Sound
“There’s something for everyone’s tastes on this album. Melodic, dark, proggy, heavy, thrashy and even gentler passages. It’s a good mix for your listening journey.” Adrian Langeveld (Drums)

Writing & Playing
“This time round I was involved with the song writing process from the beginning and this shows where the playing is less frenetic, far simpler and more calculated. A totally different experience to where I came in on Where Serpents Conquer, when I wasn’t even really sure what I’d be playing on the day of recording. It was certainly a successful approach for WSQ, however, for this album, being a part of the whole process gave it the time and thought it deserved from a rhythmic perspective.” Adrian Langeveld (Drums)

The Timeline
“It’s been almost 7 years since our last album. During that time, band members have gone through some major life changes, emigration to different countries and a pandemic, but we’ve finally managed to make it happen. We really would like to thank our loyal fans for their patience, and we truly hope that you’ve found the wait worth it. Thanks for sticking with us. You ROCK \m/” Adrian Langeveld (Drums)
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“I can’t believe we’ve finally got here! Adrian and I started writing this album back in early 2017 and life has gone through so many twists and turns since then…there have been times when I wasn’t sure the album would ever come out, but with all the support from Heinrich (our producer), Tim and Adrian, we’ve pulled through with something we’re all proud of.” Chris Hall (Vocals & Guitar)

Sonic Direction
“This album is our most progressive by a long shot, and for good reason: Adrian and I would just jam for minutes on end and these amazing musical moments were captured on the demos and so much of the album is made up from extended jams we’d have when we were in the writing process. We didn’t really have a clear goal in mind, style-wise, we just played and listened back to what came out. On the previous albums, I wrote most of the music alone and would show Rob or Adrian the parts. You can tell how the music flows more on the album through a pair of dudes just jamming and feeding off each other. Tim came in a few months before we started tracking guitars and could only finish his parts once things had calmed down with the pandemic and he was able to get back into the studio with Hein again last year. I was fortunate to have all my guitar tracks and vocal takes recorded before I left for the UK, just before the world went into lockdown.” Chris Hall (Vocals & Guitar)

The Lyrical Content
“Lyrically, I went more personal than I’ve been before. Expressing my opinion, a bit more about certain hypocrisies I see in the world and getting recent traumas off my chest. Hein was amazing in helping me harness that disdain and dark energy and turning it into vocal performances I’m really pleased with.” Chris Hall (Vocals & Guitar)

The Production
“I have to give a torrential shower of love to our best friend and producer, Heinrich Köllner, for mixing “Patriarch” to total perfection and sticking with us throughout the entire process from demo days to the final master. We’ve known him for years and worked with him on ‘Serpents' so we know each other well and have identical standards and tastes in music. He pushed all of us to our limits on this one, but we’d practiced these songs so much by the time we came to recording it - we were tight as nails tracking the takes and we could fully focus on the feel of the music and nailing the mood.” Chris Hall (Vocals & Guitar)

Tracking with Heinrich Köllner
“After working with Heinrich Köllner on the last album, we knew there was nobody else we wanted to handle the production on this one. Heinrich was integral to the success of Patriarch, and he was 100% committed and in the trenches with us the whole way through it. He doesn’t let anything slide. Heinrich is an unrepentant perfectionist, but the best kind because he’s such a wonderful human being, you don’t mind when he makes you redo a part! The results speak for themselves, we couldn’t be prouder of how the album sounds.” Tim Leibbrandt (Bass)
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The Album Cover
“The artwork needed to reflect the music, striking a balance between something timeless and considered while still being thrash as hell. Referencing 19th century spirit photography felt like an effective way of capturing the album’s themes of familial legacies and the chokehold of the past. The artwork explores the perpetuation of inherited cycles of trauma, here literally visualised as a haunting spectre.” Tim Leibbrandt (Bass)

The Music
“Patriarch is an album defined by progression and contrasts. It’s a culmination of the band’s past directions and takes things far beyond anything we’ve done before. It pushes the boundaries of what people expect a thrash album to sound like.  The new songs are a journey, alongside the intense riffing is a new focus on musical passages and atmosphere.  Songs can veer from crushingly heavy to hauntingly sparse. The performances are personal bests across the board.” Tim Leibbrandt (Bass)

The Writing
“Working on the album in the malaise of the pandemic came with several challenges, but also allowed us the time to let the songs simmer and develop, seeing what flavours rose to the fore. There’s a new level of intention to the music, everything serves a purpose, and each track has its own unique identity that contributes to the overall whole. By the time we were recording, everyone was completely on the same page.” Tim Leibbrandt (Bass)

The Reception
“Patriarch is going to take listeners by surprise. I don’t think anyone will be expecting it to have gone down the sonic avenues it has, but I have no doubt they’ll embrace this incarnation of Infanteria’s sound. Patriarch has taken several unexpected directions, but it makes complete sense when you hear it. It’s a totally honest reflection of who we are as a band today.” Tim Leibbrandt (Bass)

Infanteria is a three-piece Progressive Thrash Metal Band from Cape Town, South Africa and Manchester, UK. Currently independent, the band released two studio albums with Burning Tone Records, with their third album, ‘Patriarch’, due for a 2022 release.

Chris Hall (Vocals & Guitar), Tim Leibbrandt (Bass) and Adrian Langeveld (Drums)