You’ve got to hand it to Solitude Productions. They’ve got a complete focus on all things doomy, and although their catalogue tends to be based around Eastern Europe, they do cast their net on a global scale. They’ve also got a pretty tight grip on quality control – selecting genuinely talented bands. All of which leads me to “Inborn Suffering”, a French band of some pedigree, peddling a superior brand of doom / death metal that manages to somehow transcend the usual My Dying Bride cloning antics of many of their cousins.
First up out of the blocks is a reissue of “Wordless Hope”, an album which first saw the light of day way back in 2005 on sadly defunct Portuguese record label, Sound Riot. Though to be fair I had not heard of Inborn Suffering prior to these CDs being sent to me through the post, it seems that this album has become a bit of a minor gem, with original pressings passing hands for £30 + on online retail outlets on the internet. Listening to the album, it isn’t hard to see why. While this platter isn’t without problems – for instance the keyboard and synth effects often sound a bit weak and cheap, and the general atmosphere does tend to be a trifle on the weepy melodramatic side – for the most part this is quite exquisite melodic doom / death metal. Some of the melodies – such as the one to be found on “Thorn of Deceit” are completely compelling. The use of a session violinist also adds some class to the rest of the band – here oddly having vocals contributed by Frederic Simon, who apparently wasn’t a full time member of the band, but who evidently had a powerful hoarse delivery. Perhaps the greatest contribution here – aside from the tasty guitar work, are the drums of Thomas Rugolino, who manages to produce an amazingly diverse performance, despite the leaden pace of the music. A minor classic, it would appear then, and a timely reappearance on perhaps the world’s premiere doom metal record label.
(7.5/10)
So it is then that Inborn Suffering have returned in 2012 – after an absence of six years. Now with rhythm guitarist Laurent Chaulet also on lead vocals, (and doing a fine job of it – sounding not unlike a more tuneful Darren White with added testicles), “Regression to Nothingness” is ironically enough not anything like a regression for the band. The evolution of the music is plain to hear, particularly when the two albums are played back to back. Where “Wordless Hope” was a fine doom/death album, there is much more than that simple genre description to be found in this album. With progressive elements, and an incredibly heavy pure death metal influence, this is something truly special. The title track, a dizzying 11 minute epic, contains more ideas than most of their contemporaries can muster in an entire album. Majestic, sweeping riffs are backed up by the sturdy bass playing, until the insane drumming of Mr Rugolino makes an appearance, all drenched in the tasteful keyboards. Though it isn’t really entirely musically accurate, I would say that this album really reminded me of what could have happened if Anathema had taken the staple ingredients that made their epic “The Silent Enigma”, and kept going into extreme territory. This is an organic album. It breathes. Between the tumult and the churn, when the music has ebbed and flowed, there is magic in the space between the noise. It’s also fair to say that with tunes such as “Self Contempt Kings”, there’s an introspection and depth that’s very alluring.
In between the vast walls of doom, however, are gems that shine in the murk, such as stand out track “Another World”, which plows a different furrow. It’s a complex, twisted tune with mangled rhythms, tortured vocals and otherworldly atmosphere. At a mere (!) six minutes, it’s also fairly pacey by the standards of the rest of the album, punching a mid-tempo barrage until the mid section crawls painfully by on its knees. It’s merely one example of how sophisticated a package this is: a self-confident and accomplished piece of art that stands proudly on its own feet. Bravo.
(8.5/10 Chris Davison)
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