INTER ARMA

— First review of this album —

Inter Arma is among the most-talked-about bands in the realm of modern progressive metal (at least online). It's not hard to see why. The band's last few releases have been stellar, and their most recent album, 2016's Paradise Gallows, was especially impressive in its scope and ambition. They've managed to effectively blend the pounding heaviness of doom and sludge metal with the speed and sharpness of black metal. I try not to set my hopes too high for high-profile releases like this, lest I be disappointed with a pretty good album.

Sulphur English continues a trend that was begun on Paradise Gallows. Their 2016 release was the first of theirs to feature clean vocals, and acoustic guitar was even given prominent placement at moments. Clean vocals are even more widespread on Sulphur English, and acoustic guitars continue to be given a large role in an increasing number of songs, offering a sharp contrast against the thundering, growling sludge riffs.

After the brief, ominous opening instrumental "Bumgardner", Sulphur English erupts into a storm of guttural vocals, bone-rattling guitars, and thunderous drums on "A Waxen Sea". The song "Citadel" plays like an encapsulation of Inter Arma's most aggressive tendencies. There are plodding doom riffs that lurch along with abyssal weight; there's technical shredding which almost borders on thrash metal at moments; and there are the soaring, twisting solos over deliberate rhythms.

"Howling Lands" is one of the more adventurous songs on the album. The instrumentation is minimal, consisting primarily of percussion with a rolling, tribal feel and sparse, squealing guitars. The stringed instruments in this song provide additional texture and allow the drums to be the lead instrument. "Stillness", the next track, shows Inter Arma continuing their experimental patterns. This song opens with an extended acoustic movement accompanied by haunting vocals and a David Gilmour-inspired guitar solo.

The two longest songs, "The Atavist's Meridian" and the title track, demonstrate the band's ambition as songwriters. The structures are complex and nonlinear, and many of the riffs show impressive technical skill.

Despite all this praise, I do have some serious reservations about Sulphur English. The biggest is that I am not wild about the production. Sludge metal is supposed to be, well, sludgy. Thick and nasty. But this comes off more like mud than sludge. It lacks a certain auditory chunkiness. The distortion loses its impact rather quickly, and that can cause some of the extended instrumental sections to become trying and tedious. It's a bit like aural oatmeal to me after a while.

The other issue is more a symptom of the limitations of a studio album. "Primordial Wound" is probably my least-favorite track off Paradise Gallows, utilizing a sluggish pace and austere riff. But when I saw them perform it live, I was blown away. There are a lot of moments like that on this album. I don't doubt they'd be fantastic and impressive in a live setting, but they lack a certain oomph as studio recordings.

Sulphur English demonstrates some impressive evolution out of Inter Arma. I think they're moving in a good direction, and I'm eager to hear what they put out next. But I do hope they give their production an adjustment and tighten up their songwriting.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/05/12/album-review-inter-arma-sulphur-english/

"Paradise Gallows" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, Virginia based sludge/post metal act Inter Arma. The album was released through Relapse Records in July 2016. It´s the successor to "Sky Burial" from 2013, although the two albums were bridged by "The Cavern" EP from 2014. The lineup who recorded "Sky Burial (2013)" are intact.

Stylistically Inter Arma have developed and refined the rather eclectic metal style they played on the predecessor, and if possible "Paradise Gallows" is an even harder to label album than "Sky Burial (2013)" was. The music features elements of sludge, Post-metal, death metal, doom metal, and black metal. So the listener is exposed to both mid-paced sludgy sections, slow and heavy doomy sections, atmospheric post-metal sections, brutal death metal sections, and fast blasting blackened sections. The vocals vary between growling, raw shouting hardcore influenced vocals, black metal type shrieking, and clean vocals on the closing track "Where the Earth Meets the Sky".

The band are well playing, and the album features a dark, organic, and professional sound production, which suits the material well. So "Paradise Gallows" is on most parameters a high quality release. It´s up for debate if the eclectic nature of the material is a strength or a weakness, but that´s probably an aquired taste, and fans of releases featuring many different stylistic traits should find lots to enjoy here. It´s adventurous music and the listener is taken on a 70 minutes long and dark journey, featuring more than a few surprises on the way. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

"Sky Burial" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US doom/sludge metal act Inter Arma. The album was released through Relapse Records in March 2013.

The band play a very eclectic blend of musical styles which makes a genre label almost impossible to apply to "Sky Burial". You´ll find doom, sludge, post-metal/rock, black metal and death metal elements all mixed together to form a rather intriguing and adventurous sound. This is definitetly music for the open-minded listener. The music is generally very dark and the atmosphere bleak, which go well with the predominantly slow and heavy pace of the music. There are however faster blasting parts on the album too, so not everything is doomy. The vocals are mostly raw and shouting sludge/post- metal styled vocals, but there are both death metal growling and black metal shrieks on the album too.

After listening to the incredibly dark and haunting opening track "The Survival Fires", the album takes a complete left-turn with first the acoustic strummed "The Long Road home (Iron Gate)" (overlayed with effect laden almost psychadelic lead guitar sounds) and then with "The Long Road home", which initially starts in the same style, but about mid way through explodes in an almost orgasmic Gilmouresque guitar solo, just to close with 2 minutes of atmospheric black metal blasting. Wow...this album really is eclectic in nature. Or how about the ritualistic sounding drumming in "´sblood". An obvious nod towards Neurosis. Some sections might be sligthly too repetitive in nature, but the repetition is almost always a means to create atmosphere and building to a climax.

The raw and organic sound production further enhances the listening experience, but it is the songwriting that makes "Sky Burial" a keeper. You can play as well as the best and have a professional and powerful sound production too, but if you don´t have the songwriting to boot, your project is sure to hit the ground with a bang. Inter Arma know how to write memorable and intriguing material that´ll challenge and entertain most listeners and the importance of that should never be underestimated. "Sky Burial" deserves a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating.