Infant Island roars into a more metallic vision of screamo with the opening track that is also balanced with a post-rock atmosphere. "Fulfilled" finds things lashed out in a more chaotic frenzy with an almost power-violence-like abandon. "Found Hand' is an ambient interlude that leads into the crazed assault that is "Clawing Still". This is on the more extreme end of screamo. It more than likely appeals less to fans on the emo side of that equation. It builds into the shimmer of wild screaming. I wonder if he is even trying to utter lyrics at this point. "Veil" is more deliberate. This provides the kind of dynamic shift we need to make something this unsettled to have melodic value, which they manage to do. Even hardcore gang vocals chime in on the song.
"Amaranthine" starts off with a delicate beauty. Then it erupts in the explosion of screaming that you might expect to come. They control this with a more focused metal attack. "With Shadow" offers the kind of dynamic twist I enjoy where there are screamed vocals over really pretty music. "Unrelenting" lives up to its title. This however beats your ear drums rather than evolving into a compelling song. The breathing room this song does give you is sparse. "Kindling" finds the melody returning with faintly sung vocals starting things off. Their mastery of the quiet before the storm is very effective. They linger there for the right amount of time to create a false sense of security to jerk you back in for another soaring propulsion of tangible emotion. It reminds me a little of some of the more bleeding-heart depressive black metal bands in how the tortured pleas call out over the guitar.
The perfect balance of brutality against the more soul-baring glimpses at the complex splattering of abstract emotions invoked here is what makes the guitars flagellating your ear drums worthwhile. There is not a twist to the ending of this album, as it follows the course they have already laid before. It sums up what they are about in 2024. It is cohesive with who they have been as a band up to this point in their careers, and fans of the previous work will find this takes what they do and places it on a darker canvas with sharper colors. I will give this album a 9.5, it is heavy music that is lavish yet real, some may see this as the band's "Sunbather", but is an artistic swathe of contradictions that falls into place just as the band intended. There is grace in the bloody mess made here.
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