IN VAIN – Solemn

RELEASE YEAR: 2024

BAND URL: https://invainband.bandcamp.com/

While Nocturnus’ The Key¹⁹⁹⁰ is widely regarded as the first progressive death metal album, it is arguably Death with its third album Spiritual Healing¹⁹⁹⁰ who had paved the way for Edge Of Sanity (whose debut record, Nothing But Death Remains¹⁹⁹¹ was still standard death metal fare) who then helped Opeth rise (Orchid¹⁹⁹⁴) the two becoming major genre staples. At some point, we should add In Mourning (Shrouded Divine²⁰⁰⁸) and Barren Earth (The Curse Of The Red River²⁰¹⁰) to the mix, who, although relatively late comers, for a while, were the only ones left standing after Opeth deserted death metal and Edge Of Sanity disbanded twice. If you can imagine a fusion of all 4 bands (with In Mourning the least) and add some first class black metal you will have a pretty clear idea what the Norwegian progressive metallers’ In Vain’s 5th full length, Solemn²⁰²⁴, released on April 19th via Indie Recordings, sounds like. To give you the idea of the quality of this recording you cannot get from the score (on that later) let’s just address the recent declaration (and then the first single, “§1” backing it up with substance) of Opeth’s frontman Mikael Åkerfeld that the new album, which is to come later this year, is a return to death metal, growls and all. I have high hopes, especially ignited by the quality of the first single, but I doubt that album will even come close to the very near mastery that is Solemn²⁰²⁴.

In Vain (not to be confused with the Spanish heavy thrash power metal act) is one of those bands one hears for the first time and chides oneself for not knowing sooner. How could The Latter Rain²⁰⁰⁷ (reviewed here by City of Ruben), Mantra²⁰¹⁰, Ænigma²⁰¹³ (reviewed here by Matt Coe) and Currents²⁰¹⁸ escape my attention, especially since I am very familiar with Solefald’s Neonism¹⁹⁹⁹, an album I once played to death (no pun intended) at home and in my car, and, more pertinently, an album partially created by Cornelius Jakhelln, known from guest vocals on the aforementioned Ænigma²⁰¹³? And let’s add to that the fact that four of the six current In Vain members, Johnar Håland (lead, rhythm, acoustic guitar, E-bow, backing vocals), Sindre Nedland (keyboards, piano, organ, clean, additional, and backing vocals), Kjetil D. Pedersen (2010-guitars, backing vocals) and Alexander Lebowski Bøe (bass, backing vocals) are current Solefald live members. There’s just no excuse and I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to be more aware of my surroundings and, when you read on, I think you’ll agree.

When the aforementioned live Solefald members accompanied by Andreas Frigstad (harsh vocals) and a live Ihsahn member, drummer Tobias Øymo Solbakk (2018- also synthesizers and strings arrangements) as well as the producer extraordinaire Jens Bergen, started writing for the new album they aimed for something special, different and extreme both in the light and dark directions. That they have tremendously succeeded is evident from the album’s opener, the bombastic and wonderfully trumpety “Shadows Flap Their Black Wings” with incredibly thoughtful lyrics concerning human condition: our deepest fears, our longings, our burdens, our search for tranquility and peace, to the tune of luscious melody recalling Katatonia with operatic cleans, now competing with growls, now each standing on its own. The track is so perfect in its audacity to razzle dazzle from the start, the following “To The Gallows” feels almost abrasive with its sudden black metal attack, but it quickly turns just as confidently melodic , lyrically waxing almost conspiracy theoretic in its righteous “state of the world 2024 address” (to borrow from Biohazard’s third album,) as “lies and deception rule the nations forcing the world towards damnation” while “the sovereigns lead the masses astray enforcing the age of moral decay”. The still excellent “Season Of Unrest” feels just a little bit underwhelming in comparison, but both the heavily old Opeth-ian “At The Going Down Of The Sun” and the almost hardcorish in its deathrash “Where The Winds Meet” are, again, perfections, at this point, In Vain already giving us more halfway down the road than many even well-established metal bands on their entire albums.

Not surprisingly, In Vain revives the old Opeth on “Beyond The Pale”, confidently emulating the masters but with enough of their own flavor to it to render one nothing but speechless, while “Blood Makes The Grass Grow”, in conclusion practically technical death metal, brings back Death’s last two albums down to the vocals which feel as though Chuck Schuldiner made a courteous appearance from beyond the grave. Side stepping the, a bit overcooked and slightly aimless, “Eternal Waves” (which still easily earns 5.5 from me), we finally get to the magnifiscent conclusion that deserves its own paragraph and I enthusiastically grant it.

In short, “Watch For Me On The Mountain” is (and I realize I may catch some bad rap for this assumption but I couldn’t care less) over 9 minutes of Christian heavy metal (complete with heavenly choir.) Now, hear me out, for “when the heavens are calling my name…and when the creator has broken the chains watch for me on the mountain” is illustrative of the passages in the Bible that deal with the Jesus Christ’s Kingdom in the new age to come. It’s possible, of course, that this is Norse mythology that coincides with the fact that one of God’s names, El Shaddai, means “the One from the mountain” and that He is expected to live on Mt. Zion in heaven, but I prefer my interpretation, especially when “so many good people gone now swept away like leaves in the wind, so many never saw a new dawn, fates torn apart by a life of sin” which is why we can look forward to “a new era” which “will come of rebirth and revival, where we will sing songs of joy and prepare for the harvests to come”, so, in the meantime, “let the light be your guide and follow the path of the righteous”, especially when you hear some of the best composed progressive metal the genre has ever known, Solemn²⁰²⁴ finale one of the best songs I have ever heard, which you can play over and over and never get tired of.

So, it must be said, I have a dilemma because I already had the number one spot for the year with the new Dark Tranquillity but, since Solemn²⁰²⁴ deserves easily 5.9/6 and, I’m aware that some other reviewer would or may give a perfect score, I now I have two contending works for the title, for it is that good. This is an album I predict will go down (or up) in history as a classic of progressive extreme metal, mark my words.