Time Signature Where death is...

Genre: depressive sludge-black metal

Placed at the more experimental end of the black metal continuum, Decline of the I's "Inhibition", which is the first installment in a trilogy, draws on a number of primarily dark and melancholic emotions.

Combining depressive black metal with doom and sludge, Decline of the I presents the listener with eight dark tracks that teem with desolation and desperation. Many of the riffs are heavy and doomy, while black metal tremolo-picking also occurs. While observing the convention of emphasis on repetition from black metal each song is nonetheless considerably varied, featuring typically a good handful of riffs, some of which are actually awesome (just check the groove of the breakdown at 3:12 in 'The End of a Sub-Elitist Addiction').

At times, the music on "Inhibition" comes across slightly gothic because of the use of various atmospheric effects, but a more prevalent feature is the inclusion of electronica elements, as electronic drumbeats appear several places in the album. This is probably not for every metalhead, but on what is essentially a sort of avant-garde black metal release, there is no rule that disallows electronic drumbeats.

Listeners who are interested in more experimental black metal and who do not mind the inclusion of electronica elements and sludge metal aspects should defintiely give this album a listen. It's weird, and in the world of experimental black metal weird is good.