It appeared as though quite a few new releases from the indie Season of Mist label circa late 2008 and early 2009 followed a similar setup -- metal bands fronted by female singers, with cases in point being releases by
Gonin-Ish,
Cantata Sangui, and
Ava Inferi. On the latter band's Blood of Bacchus, the Portuguese-based quintet possesses quite a goth vibe throughout -- but unlike its labelmates
Cantata Sangui, the group accomplishes this not with the aid of keyboards and samples, but solely with the vocals provided by frontwoman Carmen Simões. What also sets
Ava Inferi apart from the others is that they base their sound heavily around shifting moods -- there are few moments of all-out headbanging fury, as evidenced by such tracks as "Last Sign of Summer" and "Black Wings." As a result, there is quite a bit of mood-shifting metal detected throughout
Ava Inferi's Blood of Bacchus. ~ Greg Prato