ALBUM REVIEW: The Black – Imminence
Sweden’s IMMINENCE have been on a steady incline over the past few years and rightfully so. Their violin-infused brand of metalcore is a flavour on the tongues of many fans and critics alike, and their 2021 album Heaven In Hiding was a statement of intent and vision of what was to come as the band matured exponentially and created an atmospheric tour de force. It was a record that continued their upward trajectory and highlighted the immersive nature of their work (check out their music videos).
After a spate of magnificent singles, the band finally unearth their latest full-length album. The Black is arguably IMMINENCE‘s best and most complete work to date. It’s an album filled with hooks and heavy-hitting breakdowns – a whirlwind of malice and melody – and once again, it is beautifully married with violin sections that allow the band to stand out from the crowd.
The album starts on a melancholic note, which is an underlying feeling throughout, be it via a frantic search in the darkness or a sombre stagger through the haze. Come Hell Or High Water is the latter. While its slower pace may mean the album starts with a slow build rather than a crescendo, its chanted chorus will burrow deep into your psyche, and it’ll soon hypnotize and mesmerize you before the following track Desolation sucker punches you while in a daydream of false security.
The track pairs well with Heaven Shall Burn, which is another crushingly heavy number whose swirling strings dance above blastbeasts as frontman and all-around multi-talented maestro Eddie Berg soars with his trademark screams. They are piercing and full of unbridled emotion. There is a real sense of extra aggression this time around, and while they haven’t steered clear of this level of heaviness, it certainly feels more intentional this time around. Listen to the verses on tracks Come What May and The Call Of The Void, the latter filled with literal yells of “Rage! Rage!” – if you’re after the heavier elements of IMMINENCE, you’ll be very happy with what’s on display here.
Don’t worry though as the band still effortlessly balance out this newfound hostility with Berg’s haunting clean singing. His delicate style is the perfect ballast for his ungodly screams. Death By A Thousand Cuts showcases this in abundance, as his singing in the verses softly builds into his forced cries during the epic chorus.
The guitars sound massive throughout and help to create giant swells of emotion that build with the strings. While your focus isn’t generally on them in most of the tracks, they do have their shining moments – their stabbing attack on the mighty Continuum and seismic riffs on the early album highlight Beyond The Pale being notable moments of brilliance. The rhythm section also being mixed perfectly helps to add that extra layer of depth and thickness; the calf muscles on drummer Peter Hanstrom are treated to a hefty workout throughout the album.
The album isn’t quite perfect, however. The instrumental tracks Cul-de-Sac and L’appel Du Vide don’t necessarily contribute anything other than a slight breather and you could argue that the band stick a little too close to formula. But these are slight nitpicks on an otherwise incredible body of work.
What is perfect, however, is the album’s title track. The band certainly save the best to last (including the instrumental outro here too), as they take everything they have expertly built over their career and create an evocative and alluring track of ethereal proportions. It’s an ebbing and flowing tide of heart-wrenching emotion that surges towards its finality with power and grace, unlike anything they have been able to achieve previously.
IMMINENCE aren’t just a band, they’re an experience, a feeling, a state of mind. The Black cements their place within the metalcore hierarchy. Expect even bigger things to come.
Rating: 9/10
The Black is set for release on April 12th via self-release.
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