Alternative metal band InMe are back with a re-re-release of their very first album Overgrown Eden, which was originally released back in 2003 and then re-released in 2006 after their original label went out of business. It features the classic album in it’s entirety along with 9 extra tracks which have never previously been released. Bringing the total number of tracks up to a whopping 22, and the total length of the album being bumped up to just under 1 hour and 20 minutes, meaning there is over half an hour of bonus riffage to please your ears!
I’ll be honest, I listened to this album a few years back and I wasn’t really feeling it, but I must have been having an off day because after giving it another listen I don’t know why I didn’t like it back then. This album is spectacular from start to finish! Seeing as this isn’t an entirely new album I think it might be best if I just break this review down into 2 mini reviews, first covering the original album and my thoughts on it now, listening to it again after some time has passed, and then the second part will be covering the 9 previously unheard B-sides.
So first we have the original 13 tracks from the album. These tracks are absolutely fantastic. Lots of great guitar riffs, groovy basslines, excellent drumming and some really great vocals. The vocals were the main reason why I wasn’t a fan of this album when I first heard it, at times they’re a little bit too nasally sounding which kind of put me off. But after my most recent listen, I can appreciate the variety of techniques that the vocalist used to make each song sound different from each other and not just keep things safe and sing the same way from start to finish.
So first we have the original 13 tracks from the album. These tracks are absolutely fantastic. Lots of great guitar riffs, groovy basslines, excellent drumming and some really great vocals. The vocals were the main reason why I wasn’t a fan of this album when I first heard it, at times they’re a little bit too nasally sounding which kind of put me off. But after my most recent listen, I can appreciate the variety of techniques that the vocalist used to make each song sound different from each other and not just keep things safe and sing the same way from start to finish.
There’s some great gritty, grungy vocals throughout most of the album, but it’s broken up by some nice clean vocals and really great screaming sections. I really like the parts where there are some nice backing vocals added in to broaden the range of sound in certain parts of the songs. The guitars and bass playing is on another level, some really great chuggy riffs and other techniques thrown in to keep the songs grooving along while the drums help to drive the songs forward and keep up the momentum. There are some slower and calmer sections sprinkled throughout, but make no mistake, this album demands to be heard and it will definitely grab your attention! My favourite tracks on the album are Wounds, Lava Twilight, Icewarm, Neptune and Mosaic.
Now we move onto the 9 “new” tracks, starting off with Web. This song has a really cool intro followed by a nice groovy bassline in the first verse. After that we have Gelosea which features a very thrashy intro and some great vocals. Spur Of Moment goes from heavy to calm back and forth without ever really slowing down which may cause whiplash! Ruins starts off quite upbeat sounding (apart from the lyrics) until about halfway through when it gets heavier again, featuring a great little guitar solo, before going back to the calmer upbeat sound for the outro. Alaya is a short but really great track. Probably my favourite out of these 9 tracks. Sounds like very heavy grunge, think Nirvana but on steroids.
Now we move onto the 9 “new” tracks, starting off with Web. This song has a really cool intro followed by a nice groovy bassline in the first verse. After that we have Gelosea which features a very thrashy intro and some great vocals. Spur Of Moment goes from heavy to calm back and forth without ever really slowing down which may cause whiplash! Ruins starts off quite upbeat sounding (apart from the lyrics) until about halfway through when it gets heavier again, featuring a great little guitar solo, before going back to the calmer upbeat sound for the outro. Alaya is a short but really great track. Probably my favourite out of these 9 tracks. Sounds like very heavy grunge, think Nirvana but on steroids.
May (As Well Kiss Me) is an acoustic track which only features vocals and acoustic guitars. It helps slow things down a bit after the chaos that came before it. Gently Hurting is nice and heavy again featuring a nice bouncy bassline in the verses. It also has a nice chill bridge section. Receipt For Life has some more bouncy bass in the verses, with the guitar joining in on the bouncy action in the second verse. There’s also a great little guitar solo with some harmonic arpeggios which sounds so good. Miracle is another fun little jam with some tempo changes in the verses which sounds interesting. And finally, we have Deep Regret, another really nice sounding acoustic track which feels like a real definitive ending for the album.
I really enjoyed diving back into this album, I appreciate it a lot more compared to when I first heard it. The new tracks sound just as good as the rest, although I can see why they didn’t add them in originally since there was already 13 amazing tracks picked for this albums original release. This album still holds up and sounds good over 20 years after it’s release. 10/10
Lifesick - Loved By None, Hate By All (Metal Blade Records) [GC]
After a quick scan of the song titles for Denmark hardcore mob Lifesick’s latest Metal Blade release Loved By None, Hated By All, I can assume that I am not in for a very easy time and a quick scan over there label page seems to back up this with a description that it is about the roughness of living in today’s world, and I think we can all get on board with that, I am prepared for the worst (hopefully in a good way obviously!)
The opening chords for Death Wish have an undoubted Slayer-ish quality about them and the first 20 seconds or so sound like it might actually be Reign In Blood but, of curse its not and when it all settles in it takes the shape of metallic hardcore that has the stomp and swagger of peak Biohazard and sweeps the song forward on a wave of vitriol in an impressive way, you get absolutely zero seconds to re-group before Peace Through Superior Firepower is pummelling you into the ground with a razor sharp hardcore punk that even manages to insert a little sludgy elements into bits of the song which adds a really interesting contrast as your never really sure what is coming next?
What comes next is the stomping and vitriolic Double Cross which carries on with the hardcore punk but ups the ante considerably and at times has a grindcore element added in and then just for the hell of it a thundering beatdown with added 2 step is thrown into the mix, fucking breathtakingly good stuff this! Hollow Treats doesn’t do too much different but this time there is another punk element added in the shape of an 80’s D-beat rhythm a la Discharge and I know I have compared them to 3 bands already but look at those bands I have compared them to? That should tell you everything about just how good this really is, anyway, this is just another savage and unrelenting 4 minutes of pure rage filled with anger that you will never get tired of hearing.
Cheeringly titled Legacy Of Misery in contrast is a bit more metal focused and really has a force behind everything that’s played, you can practically feel every ounce of spite flowing from your speakers and the ominous and slow ending just adds to the horrors of the song even more. You may expect Poems For My Funeral to be a sombre and laid-back affair, but it is of course nothing of the sort, it is probably the slowest song so far but that doesn’t stunt the delivery at all and if anything, it gives it more room to sound bigger and angrier and that’s quite the achievement considering what’s come before it!
Liquid Courage continues with the metallic hardcore sound and it’s a storming track that mixes some death metal elements into the already unrelenting and nasty sound and provides no let up in the barrage you are facing as the listener, Loved By None gets the bit between its teeth and bites down hard with another shot of vital and life affirmingly angry hardcore punk with not a nanosecond of time wasted, it is just another brilliant way to push this album forward before another misleading title is upon us The Mourning March may be expected to be another slow, thoughtful track. Right? Wrong! It’s yet another furious display of absolute disdain and hatred for life and the shit it brings and when anger sounds this intense it’s the best form of protest, and so Straight Jacket is now here to finish us off and it does so in gloriously horrible fashion with a final blast of white hot metallic hardcore anger mixed with some furious punk.
This was as close to perfect as you could get really, the only point I have is that some of it sounded almost too much like other bands, which is fine and didn’t ruin the effect of any part of the album, I think I would just like Lifesick to shine through as their own being! But seriously apart from that there is nothing here to moan about, this is an unrelenting, savage and angry album that should get repeated listens if you know what is good for you. 9/10
Ethereal – Downfall (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Think Katatonia, think Sentenced, think Moonsorrow, think Draconian or any number of Gothic bands with dual female/male vocals and you can sort of conjure up the style of Portuguese gothic doom band Ethereal. I mean if the name doesn’t give it away then the slow brooding soundscapes, sweeping orchestras, huge wall of guitars and soaring classical female vocal from Christina Lopes and gruff clean/growls from band founder Hugo Soares will definitely will.
This was as close to perfect as you could get really, the only point I have is that some of it sounded almost too much like other bands, which is fine and didn’t ruin the effect of any part of the album, I think I would just like Lifesick to shine through as their own being! But seriously apart from that there is nothing here to moan about, this is an unrelenting, savage and angry album that should get repeated listens if you know what is good for you. 9/10
Ethereal – Downfall (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Think Katatonia, think Sentenced, think Moonsorrow, think Draconian or any number of Gothic bands with dual female/male vocals and you can sort of conjure up the style of Portuguese gothic doom band Ethereal. I mean if the name doesn’t give it away then the slow brooding soundscapes, sweeping orchestras, huge wall of guitars and soaring classical female vocal from Christina Lopes and gruff clean/growls from band founder Hugo Soares will definitely will.
Formed in 1997 they recorded and performed until 2008 to go and do other things but the lure of crinoline and introspection proved too much and Ethereal returned with their original line up in 2021, adding third guitarist Pedro Arsénio. The addition of a third guitarist makes Downfall very guitar centric, the Maiden-isms strong on choral backed opener Betrayal as Pedro, Marco Agostinho and Carlos Monteiro, channelling Nightwish and Sentenced too. These influences continue on The Last Peaceful Journey, which has the drive of Katatonia and a bit more Maiden.
Even with a song such as The Hour Of Infinity, which is anchored around the piano of Mário Serrano, the guitars link between each other, harmonies on top of harmonies as there’s also a doomy chug. Ethereal were quite highly touted when they first emerged and it’s easy to see why as even after all these years, their music is perhaps more popular than it was then, the title track for instance something that you could hear world beaters such as Leprous or Devin Townsend produce.
Even with a song such as The Hour Of Infinity, which is anchored around the piano of Mário Serrano, the guitars link between each other, harmonies on top of harmonies as there’s also a doomy chug. Ethereal were quite highly touted when they first emerged and it’s easy to see why as even after all these years, their music is perhaps more popular than it was then, the title track for instance something that you could hear world beaters such as Leprous or Devin Townsend produce.
Slow burning, multi-layered and emotive build on great rhythms from Miguel Ledo (drums) and Jorge Bentes (bass) it’s a triumphant way to end this rousing comeback album. Ethereal are something special, hopefully they stick around as their third album is just what I needed this time of year. 8/10
Ataraxie - Le Déclin (Ardua Music & Weird Truth Productions) [Mark Young]
Ataraxie - Le Déclin (Ardua Music & Weird Truth Productions) [Mark Young]
A late, late review for your consideration!!
There are some releases that test your level of patience to the point that it stops being a pleasant listening experience and becomes a trial of endurance, almost to the point that having completed it there is a badge of honour bestowed upon you by others who have braved it and lived to tell the tale. I’m exaggerating, well at least about the badge of honour but I’m comparing my experience of this as being like navigating the Banyan Tree in Jet Set Willy (look it up kids).
This is a long album, 4 tracks that altogether clock in at 1 hour and 21 minutes long and yet in order to appreciate its qualities you have to sit and digest it in one sitting. This is a throwback to the early days of doom/death metal, extended and stretched beyond its natural form. Each of the 4 tracks provide something different, all of it pitched within a blacker than black delivery. They are built to evolve at a glacial pace before exploding into traditional/OSDM tempos such as Vomisseurs De Vide which see it moving between melancholic, soft guitar into that doom territory without a backwards glance.
The opening salvo Le Déclin drags itself along with ponderous arrangement that moves at pace reserved for tectonic plates but within that movement it starts to unfold, evolving as the vocals enter. They narrate, at first in an almost gentle way and start to build in intensity until its time for the extreme growls to take over. Musically, the pattern shifts as those darker overtones take shape and the real aural punishment starts as Vomisseurs De Vide comes in with a statement riff pattern that is just huge. This isn’t like anything else I’ve heard; it isn’t just recycling of detuned guitars that spit out the same ideas as it feels like an album’s worth of ideas in one go. That constant switch between into death metal is unsettling, the way they turn that they change into this blast beat monster is incredible. It’s not forced, it is completely natural to hear.
Glory Of Ignominy continues that slow-burn approach, their heavy attack giving way into the subtle once more in a subversion of Vomisseurs, again using that switch and bait approach to wrong foot you. The Collapse is the final battering, and this one starts like the doom you know and love, guitars that grind, drums that epically crash and roll and that guttural performance by Jonathan Théry that forms the foundation from which it all springs.
There is no point me trying to find new ways to describe to you how heavy they are because in all honesty it’s pointless. This is their 5th album, and if you have listened to the other 4 then you will have a pretty good idea of what is in store for you. Within each track there are moments of speed that evoke memories of what death metal was like in the early 90’s. It’s brutal, dark and without any mercy whatsoever.
That they choose to punish over this length of time is something else, and I think under normal circumstances I would have attempted to send this back to the boss for someone else to have a stab at. What they do within each track is tell a cohesive story that touches on subtlety, melody and gives you some monstrous sounding guitars. Each one is like a distorted mirror of the one before and the one after, often twisting similar movements so that they come at you from a different place, almost like a different time.
It goes without saying that this will be an acquired taste to those who have not come across Ataraxie before. I’ve no idea if their earlier music would be better as a jumping on point when compared to this. Or maybe you should just take the plunge and let it wash over you like the water in a cold, dark lake. 8/10
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