ALBUM REVIEW: Heaven In Hiding – Imminence

Have you ever heard of comic book movie fatigue? It’s the notion that with the amount of comic book based/inspired movies we’ve had in the past decade, there’s been a growing feeling of “seen this before.” By no means does that mean the films themselves are poorly made or even not enjoyable. It simply means that after seeing enough of one kind of film, the spark of a great original spin or an unforeseen twist can be lost in a tide of predictability. Predictable can still be fun and very digestible, but it certainly won’t inspire multiple watches when it comes to film – or, in the case of music, repeat listens.

Such is the case with Swedish metalcore quintet IMMINENCE and their latest record, Heaven In Hiding. And it’s not really the band’s fault either. The current era just so happens to be filled with so many amazing metalcore bands. Whether it’s SPIRITBOX breathing new life into the genre, or DYING WISH recapturing (and arguably improving) the tones and weight of the pioneers of the early 2000s, or ARCHITECTS and BRING ME THE HORIZON continuing, to, well, be the iconic bands that paved the way and crafted the blueprint for second wave metalcore. So when it comes to IMMINENCE and Heaven In Hiding, there’s a lot of “seen this before” which is perfectly solid and serviceable, but not particularly inspired or inspiring amidst a sea of fresh talent and older bands that have covered this ground time and time again.

If there is a main inflection point that separates IMMINENCE from their peers, it’s that their lead vocalist, Eddie Berg, is also a classical violinist. It’s a promising idea, as solo violin can often be one of the most potently emotional instruments in the right context. And there are flashes of this element coming to bear early on, with tracks like Ghost and Temptation accented by an aching lilt amidst the sharp-edged riffs drenched in electronic textures and synths. But it’s a crying shame that with such a high potential ceiling and unique calling card, the band not only saves the lion’s share of violin for the last four songs of the record, but falls into a cut and paste ARCHITECTS style of metalcore for three quarters of the record.

To reiterate, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this. All the elements for a perfectly fine time are here. Right from the pulsing electric throb of intro track I Am Become A Name… the entire record is full of electronic swells and flourishes. This works well on tracks like Surrender, with its stuttering guitar intro and Berg‘s quiet croon to loud throaty yell that sounds like a combination of Sam Carter and Aaron Gillespie. Though these songs have bouncing, staccato riffs and rising crescendos sure to get crowds moving in a live setting, IMMINENCE mostly sound like an amalgamation of modern metalcore tropes that have been worn thin with time. Through the majority of the runtime, the tracks run together and tend to blend through their similarity. There are moments that stick out, certainly. The chorus on Moth To a Flame is one of the hookiest on the album, and the winding, melancholic Chasing Shadows brings back the violin to sweeping effect. But it’s unfortunate. These are solidly composed and performed tracks, but one would be hard pressed to separate them from a great many metalcore acts out there.

There is revelation to be found on Heaven In Hiding, however. After a long four track absence, the violin returns on Lost And Left Behind, and it immediately signals the start of the strongest section of the album, which is the last three tracks. این نیز بگذرد (translated as This Too Shall Pass) is arguably the most interesting and constantly engaging track on the album, its middle eastern guitars and traditional percussion forming a twisting backbone to Berg‘s soft and plaintive vocals and breath-taking violin. It’s an emotional powerhouse of a track and nearly makes up for the tracks that have come before.

Playing with new colours and textures looks good on IMMINENCE when they take advantage of their strengths. This is only doubled down on in the gorgeous, albeit all too short ∞. This track is just a short violin instrumental, but it provides an almost too tantalizing glimpse at what IMMINENCE could evolve into if they utilize the full power of the violin moving forward. Finally, the stark beauty of the stringed instrument blends into a perfect marriage with the rest of the band’s metal talent on closer Heaven In Hiding. Berg has saved his best performance for the last song, with his voice sweeping softly like a petal on the wind before blasting at its full power as the band sets him up with their layered melodic power. The violin here sounds more perfectly blended with their metalcore roots than any track before, and the breakdown is absolutely massive and crushing. It’s a bittersweet end knowing that this track is the final one on a 13 track album, but it is a beacon of hope for the band IMMINENCE are truly capable of being at their best.

Heaven In Hiding, for anyone who appreciates a solid metalcore album full of dynamic shifts, blanketed electronics, and soaring peaks and dipping valleys, is a perfectly fine album. It knows exactly what it is and it delivers in a solid manner. However, to those enmeshed in the seeming resurgence of metalcore pushing itself in new, exciting ways, this album will feel all too familiar. It may sound like ARCHITECTS, but IMMINENCE can certainly learn from those giants and work to use their greatest assets to craft a sound all their own, and instead of copying and pasting in the future, hopefully learning to craft a breath-taking new style of painting that can take its place in the current and continuing metalcore renaissance.

Rating: 6/10

Heaven In Hiding is set for release on November 26th via Arising Empire.

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