Gothtober - Your Inland Empire : "S/T"

 

Ex-members of the Crown have formed this darker, more electronic project, Your Inland Empire. Guitars still squeal out into the night, but are framed in a different context. It flirts with a similar sonic scope as other metal bands, such as Tiamat, who began crossing over into this more melodic alt-goth territory in the 1990s, as seen in the song "There Is No Me".  It works for me, but hopefully this album will get darker. The vocals seem too hopeful on the chorus. "Grinding" finds the drums driving things in more of a rock direction, as the vocals croon in a more emotive manner. 

"Edge of Perfection' takes a more blatant direction towards industrial. Though still rooted in rock, much like Rammstein. If Metallica covered Depeche Mode, the results might be similar to " Silver Knife". There i a stormier brooding to the pulse of "Undone", the vocals retaining the more rock grit despite a nuanced performance. I like the syncopation of this one. The metal comes roaring out on the chorus of "Venom" despite the more electronic lurking of the verse. "Sulfur" feels like how bands kept the flames of '80s classic goth sounds burning into the '90s. The vocal croon rides the middle ground as they refrain from getting too aggressive.

"Chemicals " finds the more metallic chug of guitar leading the way in before ebbing down into a more spacious, moodier tone for the vocals to build off. When they stomp on the chords at the chorus and the vocals stay the course, it works off more of a formula similar to that used by fellow Swedes Katatonia. There is a similar feel but with a more emotive atmosphere on "Myself Destruct," though it gets heavier when it builds with a more roaring vocal tone that is more overtly metal. "I'll Be Your Night" grooves a little more. The synth undertones build the mood. The vocals continue to employ a more hushed urgency. I they are not dark enough to really like the mood here, despite not being dark enough to be considered goth in the way Type O Negative is, they are moody enough to appeal to fans who like this brand of goth adjacent 90s spawned dark rock. I wil give this album a 9. It beings released on Seaon of Mist. 

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