BANISHED FROM INFERNO used to be called BERENICE BLEEDING. Kudos on the name change, kinda, the band moving from something that sounds like a snuff film to a moniker that seems dreadfully cliché and almost indicative of something which will sound dated. Amazing! A self-fulfilling prophecy.

Unsure if this is an EP or an MCD, and equally unsure of the difference inherent in the naming of such an outing, I place the disc into the tray unsure of what to expect in the ensuing 23 odd minutes. Cue atmosphere. Cue bad atmosphere. Here come the fuzzed out guitars a la ENTOMBED and DISMEMBER and standard vocals, complete with poor production. BANISHED FROM INFERNO churn forth a frothy mix of what is essentially old school Swedish Death Metal while reaching for obscure atmosphere with sound clips of storms and the like. 23 minutes. I will never get them back.

Given the recent resurgence of bands going for this sound, and most of them aping it badly, BANISHED FROM INFERNO do an adequate job of adequately screwing things up in a truly regal fashion. Perhaps with time this band will grow and mutate but as for now, they are simply a clone. The music in the six tracks contained is interspersed with the aforementioned atmosphere, making for really only four true songs. Of those four, none of them really stick to the ribs in spite of the bloody-freaking-everywhere tone on the thing. Not dismal, but really close. Stick with BLOODBATH for this sort of time warp, and banish these guys for now.