Short Reviews [In Mourning - 2010 - "Monolith"]

Originally released in 2010, In Mourning’s second album saw them firmly take on the mantle of melodic death metal with some progressive undertones, looking to the likes of countrymen Opeth for inspiration. Although originally released on vinyl and CD, those formats have long been out of print, so to celebrate the tenth anniversary last year, the band worked with Agonia Records to make it again available on CD, along with a few different vinyl options. The line-up at this time had been together for three years, with three founder members still involved from 10 years earlier, and it was their second album together, so it is of little surprise that they were incredibly tight. One of the real joys of this album is how they can go from death metal to delicate melodic interludes within the same song, yet somehow managing to keep all of it making sense so it feels part of a continuous whole as opposed to just random bits and pieces thrown together. Singer Tobias Netzell has a real death growl, but while the music does often fall in that territory, there are also times when it is way more commercial and into power metal territory, while black metal also makes a welcome appearance here and there. It is this combination of styles and refusal to strictly conform to any boundaries which also seems them listed as being a progressive band, but obviously in the more technical and extreme areas of that genre. Although I have heard their last two albums, this one was new to me, but it does not sound at all dated and if this has been listed as a brand-new release I would not have been surprised as it is still relevant, powerful, and punchy. If, like me, this is an album you missed first time around but enjoy this style of music the this is well worth investigating further with many different styles and time signatures but somehow always making sense.