Deicide, Morbid Angel and Six Feet Under all come from Tampa, Florida. So do Dark Sermon, who have gone on record as claiming to have redefined heavy metal. That’s quite a claim. What’s missing is the evidence. This quartet sound like a death metal band from Florida. So “In Tongues” is heavy in its riffage and in its hard-ball drum works. Songs are not pieces of experimentation but songs. There’s plenty of aggression.
All this brutal and bludgeoning stuff is very pure and uniform. But nothing really happens here for a while, bar a couple of eerie-sounding samples on the tracks “Imperfect Contrition” and “The Scales of Justice”. The guitar work is good throughout, and helps to provide the backbone and an extra dimension in the form of classy solos. But this needed livening up. It’s heavy but without explosions. The drum work is strong and solid, especially on “Cursed” where it links up another competent death metal song. This is standard stuff other than the odd interesting moment or bits of instrumental work. Generally “In Tongues” is mass produced in its form and structure. “Forfeit I – The Crooked Quill”, the sixth track, breaks the mould with a mesmerising ending. Dark skies develop, and then as I was getting into it, it stopped far too early without developing the atmosphere – a rare opportunity wasted. The dreary fare continues until the last track “In Tongues”, which actually has shape and pattern. The dark build-up and triggering drums signal an imminent threat. This track has a much darker ambiance. There’s a good breakdown. Moments of tension follow and the sampled deathliness creates a spooky environment. The style is the same but thanks to its movement the last song on the album is better. At least it has some balls.
I’ve listened to this album a few times in the hope that it grabs me, but it hasn’t happened. “In Tongues” washes over me every time, lacks imagination and leaves me cold. It may be some people’s cup of Floridan orange but it isn’t mine.
(4 / 10 Andrew Doherty)
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