Time Signature Colossus...

Genre: progressive gothic metal

Branded a progressive melodic death metal band, In Mourning obviously have certain liberties and can get away with things that other more traditional genre-bound death metal artists might not be forgiven for.

Their latest release "The Weight of Oceans", for instance, does not at all strike me as being a death metal release. Well, that is, the vocal style consists of growls and screams, but other than that we are dealing with music which is much more in the direction of gothic metal blended with alternative rock and progressive metal. And, you know what, it is pretty good actually. I think that the melancholic bass-driven opening of the very first track 'Colossus' pretty much makes that clear.

Drawing on dark atmospheres, melodic harmonies and spicing things up with odd time signatures every now and then, In Mourning have really struck gold artistically speaking. Not unlike with gothic metal legends Paradise Lost, melancholic and melodic guitar leads are a central feature in the sound of In Mourning's music - even in more aggressive tunes like the thrashy 'A Vow to Conquer the Ocean' and the black metal informed 'Isle of Solace' do we hear melodic guitar leads. And it is exactly this sense of melody, and the lushness it generates, along with the little details and twists and turns found throughout this album, that makes "The Weight of Oceans" the very interesting and compelling listen that it is.

In many ways, In Mourning could be described as a more sophisticated Paradise Lost (of course, In Mourning have their own sound - this is just to draw a line of comparison), combining melancholy and musical lushness. I think that "The Weight of Oceans" should appeal to fans of the likes of Barren Earth, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and perhaps also Crematory and Ecnephias.

Conor Fynes 'Monolith' - In Mourning (7/10)

Having only recently come to my attention, I had heard good things about this Swedish melodic death metal act before checking it out. Being described by some as 'one of the best metal albums of 2010,' I took it upon myself to give In Mourning's 'Monolith' a listen for myself to decide whether these claims were founded or not. As it turns out, this young band is certainly impressive in their own right. Taking the signature melodic metal sound of their home country (also called the 'Göteborg' sound), In Mourning makes a solid first impression. However, the route the band takes has been done to death already, and with legions of acts having already covered the same territory before, it might be difficult for this talented act to make a lasting stand.

From the first listen of the opening track, I instantly related the music of In Mourning to compatriot acts Dark Tranquility, Opeth, and In Flames, among others. A very polished sound, plenty of heavy melodic guitar work, growls and then a soaring, catchy chorus all tie this band together with the more experienced and travelled acts. The album starts off in a vein that is very typical of melodic death metal, but also very skilled and enjoyable. Throughout the first few tracks, there is solid song structure, choral hooks and occasional curveballs, such as an acoustic breakdown here and there. Towards the latter part of the album however, there is a very noticable (possibly intentional), gradual change of sound. While the beginning of the album took an upbeat and hard hitting approach to the music, things start sounding more like doom metal than anything as 'Monolith' nears it's closing. With heavy anthems like 'The Poet & The Painter Of Souls' and the funeral doom epic 'The Final Solution' sharing the same disc, 'Monolith' can feel at times like two separate works. However, the change of the sound from upbeat to depressive and forlorn makes for an interesting emotional journey.

While certainly not being the most original act I've come across, one thing In Mourning does very well, is the actual presentation and execution of their music. In a crystal clean vessel of production, it becomes all the more important for the musicians to give a very deliberate and purposeful execution. The members of In Mourning accomplish this by delivering a nearly flawless performance of their work. Tobias Netzell gives a good range of vocal work here running from growls to vulnerable clean vocals, although the majority of the vocal work here generally rests on low pitched grunts, typical of the genre.

In Mourning have established themselves as a talented act with 'Monolith.' There is a great performance, some decent songwriting ability and a competent package. The band wears their influences on their sleeve, but rarely succeeds at surpassing the giants of the style.