Infinexhuma is a dark ambient/dark drone/noise project from the Bay Area in California and 'Frontier' is apparently their 7th album, and a double disc at that. I've never heard any of their previous efforts so comparisons to earlier albums is moot. On CD1 "Converter" unfolds with delicious dark drones that hearkens to impending hurricane skies (hey, we just happen to have one headed this way!) and a storm brewing on the horizon. Plenty of that industrial atmos too, wrapped in a squall of low noise. Metal pylons torn asunder, bridges twisting and ripped apart, unnatural disasters unfolding. You get the picture. It does calm down in the aftermath though. "Orbital" (featuring Blood Box) begins with a more simmering low drone ambience until it unfolds to something more huge with higher drone resonance. It keeps building until it can build no more then gradually dissipates. Rumbling noise drone and sinister whisper is the beginning of "Sword," or at least until the quench, which screams hot metal meets water pain. Following that, "Sweeper" sounds like it might be visiting a subterranean location heretofore unexplored with the kind of hallucinogens they've given you. I know there's some kind of processed guitar in here, maybe voices as well. It all moves soooo sloooowwwly... Maybe just the break we needed though. "Heaven March" (featuring NERATERRÆ) takes a long time to build in its vastness, and its secrets don't appear to be apparent until near the end. Wrapping up CD1 is "Position in Flames," a real rolling thunder review summing up everything previously, with an intensity that does not quit. Why am I thinking Theologian after listening to this?

On to CD2 with "Catharsis of Goodbye," beginning with some dialog sample in Spanish. Not my language but I think it had something to do with death.... Discreet industrial ambience mixed with electronic drones building to a power noise intensity in the middle that morphs into something else on the downside (like out of nowhere comes a dubstep style bass, sans beat) and the drones sound organy now. But there is still a noise crescendo left to go... Another slow-burner, “Deep Runnel" (featuring Common Eider, King Eider) sounds like a ghost in the wind hovering over a graveyard. One of the quieter tracks on the album. Perhaps the most unexpected track though is "In the End" with fuzzy EDM synths and bass drum pounding like some crazy rave gone wrong. It goes on a bit longer than necessary, but oh well... "Forged" begins with a different type of drone (higher, chordal, more resonance) and some complimentary low noises. It sort of gives the impression of calmness in the eye of a storm. Disjunct notes emerge ("Hey man, the sequencer/arpeggiator just turned itself on, I dunno why, but let's just go with it...") and this piece becomes more consumed with noise and dark rumblings. Now that we're standing here, let's try "Every Door". Woozy synths meet slabs of noise and I think there's a processed voice trapped in there somewhere... It finally all ends on "Stormless," a track that I think was designed to bring the listener out of the darkness into the light.

Infinexhuma certainly gives the listener a lot top chew on with 'Frontier,' assuring a quality product as it was mastered by Grant Richardson (Gnawed). For some it might be too much but I think there's enough variety to make it a worthy purchase. If you're a fan of Theologian, or similar dark ambient projects, you can't go wrong with this one.