In Vain – Solemn
Release Date: 19th April 2024
Label: Indie Recordings
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Black Metal, Progressive Metal.
FFO: Opeth, In Mourning, Barren Earth, Arcturus.
Review By: Carlos Tirado
In Vain is a band that defies categorization. It’s not just a Prog band, Melodeath, or even a Black metal band. It’s fair to say that In Vain sounds like In Vain. Sure, you’ve heard it all before, but not quite like this. I’ve been a fan since Aenigma and Currents, both excellent releases that will surely become classics with time. So, you can imagine how difficult it is for me to be satisfied with Solemn. Is it even possible to top either of the two previous instalments? Let’s find out!
Solemn marks the album where In Vain completes its transition from an eclectic act to a fully-fledged Prog one. The songs are long and full of intricate arrangements that take you through a myriad of emotional landscapes. This was already noticeable in Currents, but there was still a higher focus on the Scandinavian Melodeath sections. If anything, Solemn is more grandiose in its ambitions and sound. While there are still many groovy riffs, the focus now lies on the entire journey rather than its individual parts. In other words, this album leans more towards In Mourning and less towards Insomnium yet remains just as intense and enjoyable.
I’ve always admired that In Vain isn’t afraid to take risks. It’s difficult to nail those vocal lines without sounding extremely corny, yet In Vain manages to stay epic and heroic without veering into the excesses of some Power metal bands (I’m looking at you, Rhapsody of Fire!). So, while Solemn may be a lighter album at times, and may even sound happy (like on Where the Winds Meet), there are so many breathtaking riffs that you’ll listen to it in awe. There are so many great ideas that even though it might occasionally linger a bit too long, I don’t mind because they truly capture what the Scandinavian school of extreme metal is all about: the cold, the darkness, the beauty, and brutality of nature intertwining with our own human condition in constant flux.
I do have some minor issues with Solemn. In Vain loves its albums long, and that can be a bit of a struggle when there’s so much material to work with, even if every second is worth it. Then there’s the fact that perhaps the middle of the album isn’t as strong as the beginning and the end (Shadow of the Flap Wings, Blood Makes the Grasso Grow, and Eternal Waves are the album highlights, but make no mistake, the middle is still excellent stuff). Finally, if you’re one of those who think the saxophone has no place in metal (which is of course wrong to think), then this might be as weird as any other In Vain album.
Solemn is the perfect name for this album. In a year where many of my expectations haven’t been properly met (except you Replicant and Benighted, you killed it!), In Vain shows me that the bar can always be raised. Time will tell if I’ll like this one more than Currents, but for now, it’s going to join Hulder, Vitriol, and Borknagar, at the top of my list.
(4.5 / 5)
