Decibel Metal And Beer Festival II At The Fillmore, Philadelphia


Philadelphia, I love you! I just need to start out with that sentiment, because honestly, that was what was in my throat the entire weekend that I was down in Philly for Decibel’s Second Annual Metal and Beer Festival. I heard all the stories and the awesomeness that was last year with SLEEP and everything that came with it. I definitely had a case of FOMO, really bad. So I bused it down to Philly on a semi-spring feeling Friday and prepared for the good times to roll. Sadly due to work, I had to miss the pre-fest party show, with Midnight. Devastating, but you can’t win em all, or even some in this life. Anyway, the fest would more than deliver, and all those good feelings were gonna last from the second I got off the bus at Independence Hall until I left to go home on Monday. Continue reading


True Mortem Added To Maryland Deathfest, Ticket Options Selling Out Fast


Maryland Deathfest has added True Mortem to the bill to replace Inquisition. The festival is bearing down with a little over six weeks to go and ticket options are running out. The festival has also released its vendor list, which you can see with the entire band lineup below. Continue reading


Maryland Deathfest Drops Inquisition, Adds Three New Bands


Maryland Deathfest is now less than two months away. They have announced some lineup changes including Zemial, Chthe’ilist, Blk Ops, and Inquisition now being removed from the festival bill. Now added are Bölzer, Ascended Dead, and Future Terror, as well as Prong who were previously announced. A replacement for Inquisition revealed soon. Due to scheduling conflicts, The Ruins of Beverast has changed the day of their performance to Saturday from Sunday. Many of the ticket options will soon be sold out, so check our list below of current availability. Continue reading


2018 Decibel Metal & Beer Fest Lineup Announced


Holy shit. The second annual Decibel Metal & Beer Fest is going to be amazing. Continue reading


Maryland Deathfest XVI Initial Lineup Features Bloodbath, Coven, And More


Maryland Deathfest will be returning to Baltimore for its 16th year in 2018, and the initial lineup is already amazing. Continue reading


Pallbearer, Portal, Full Of Hell, Loss, Krieg, And More To Release New Albums Via Profound Lore Records In 2017


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In a post to Facebook, Profound Lore, one of the premier record labels for underground music have announced their partial release plan for 2017. In addition to the already announced Pallbearer and Krieg albums, the label plans to release many notable and cult bands albums in the new year!
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Indesinence – III


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Boasting members from illustrious UK acts such as Fen, Binah and Code, London doom/death dealers Indesinence are packing a pretty impressive line-up. Having been lurking in the shadows of the underground for nearly fifteen years now, their previous two records Noctambulism (Goat of Mendes) in 2006 and Vessels of Light and Decay six years later won numerous plaudits but were too far under the radar for most people to take notice of the ominous darkness contained within. Third record, the imaginatively titled III (both Profound Lore) is unlikely to win many new admirers, but for those who already dwell in the shadows, it’s a welcome treat.

While most doom/death acts are content to rip off My Dying Bride and hope the listeners are too miserable to notice, Indesinence have their own clearly defined sound; one that uplifts as well as bruises, with shades of dappled light amidst the stygian gloom. They’re still slaves to the lengthy track however as songs evolve over several minutes, with riffs unfurling languidly to strike at their own pace, while the stark, pounding drumbeats batter the listener into submission.

First track proper ‘Nostalgia’ is appropriately titled, for it calls to mind the sheer bleakness of US masters Evoken, as the devastatingly sad lead guitar work provides the perfect counterfoil to the gut-punching of the rhythm section. ‘Embryo Limbo’ sets the scene with some stately clean-picked notes before giving way to some crushing riffs that flirt with mid-paced mid-90s death metal, like Incantation after a heavy dose of lithium.

The first real burst of pace occurs on ‘Desert Trail’ with brisk blastbeats and strange melodies contributing to a strong feeling of malaise but the best is saved for the end of the album as the tortuous crawl of ‘Mountains of Mind/Five Years Ahead (Of My Time)’ soon gives way to a frantic chugging section, aided by eerie keyboards before a gloriously exuberant solo emerges from the mire and it becomes apparent that the band have wandered into full-on dark prog territory. The triumphant end-section is worth the price of the whole album.

Most bands would call it a day there, but Indesinence decide that things need to remain grim, which they do with aplomb on the seventeen minute dirge of ‘Strange Meridian’, an oppressive crawl through agonized soundscapes. The riffs are depressing, the vocals are truly anguished and were it not for another burst of soaring lead-guitar to end things again on a breathless, stargazing note, the whole thing might get too much. There really is no need to tack on a ten minute dark ambient closing track to finish things off though.

A difficult and undeniably too-long album, III is nonetheless a masterful and imposing piece of work. Doom/death is a naturally restrictive genre, but Indesinence have proven themselves to be one of the finest acts working in its field. Full-on misery can often get a bit one-note without some other forces to counteract the despair, and there are enough ideas going on here to ensure that even for an album approaching eighty minutes in length, attention will be maintained and engaged. The heirs to Disembowelment? Why not, eh?

 

8.0/10

JAMES CONWAY