in flames

“The Immortal” by Swedish Melodic Death Metal Band In Mourning Review 2025

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The Immortal out August 29th, 2025 via Supreme Chaos Records and Dalapop

In Mourning is one of the most underrated bands on the planet. The Swedish Death Metal group has created albums that are forever burned in the fans’ memories. Albums like The Weight of Oceans (2012) mix Melodeath, Progressive, and Gothic elements to create a truly unique listening experience. This is a band I think everyone should pay more attention to, especially with the rising popularity of Insomnium and In Flames. If you dislike the more mainstream direction In Flames has taken, maybe In Mourning can be your new Melodeath favorites. Although, In Mourning do not sound like anyone else to me. They are distinct. Three vocalists, all playing different guitar riffs and licks, and a Prog minded drummer all set In Mourning apart to me. They still have epic guitar solos as well, which is a great deviation from Modern Metal’s lack of guitar eloquence. The Swedish SadBois are back in 2025, but does the new album live up to their previous releases?

In Mourning have finally unleashed “The Immortal” after waiting four years and little teasers. “The Immortal” is everything you’d expect from a Melodeath album, and even more special coming from In Mourning. This album is a special experience. If you’re driving through the mountains in pitch black darkness with reckless abandon and the winter doldrums setting in, “The Immortal” is 47 minutes of soundtrack. It is not just an album, a collection of In Mourningesque ideas; The Immortal is a soundscape, laying out so much material and influences. They return to their roots, so you know it’s authentic, but it is not formulaic. It builds, it ebbs and flows, and it chugs. I had high expectations, but honestly didn’t expect to like this album as much. There’s something up with Me and Metal music this year. I am just continually disappointed with new releases. In Mourning has broken the lull for me.

“The Sojourner” is an instant classic Melodeath track for me. This song has everything I want from In Mourning, the Progressiveness, the longing feeling, the technical solo, the soulful clean vocals: It’s perfection. “Song of the Cranes” is just as good and a track with even more soul crushing depth. Each song stands on its own, but they all have the same moodiness and driving beat that ties it all together. If you’re a recovering Ghost Brigade fan, this album is the closest thing you will get to GB in 2025. “Moonless Sky” is all I love about Melodeath. It is an ode to the bands that have come before them, and a cementing outline of what In Mourning will continue to create. The emotion in this band is nearly unparalleled in 2025. I haven’t heard many heavy releases that really resonated with me this year, but In Mourning smashed the walls down and made me believe in Metal again this year. They go from emotional and moody atmospheric track “Moonless Sky” to Death Metal smasher “Staghorn”. That’s one of the most surprising moments in music for me this year. This song, as well as the rest of the album is so easy to get lost in. That’s what I expect from Metal. I expect an all encompassing, emotionally driving, unique artistic listening experience. I expect the highest level of catharsis. “The Immortal” hits these notes profoundly with each song. Of course, In Mourning always achieves these points on every release, but “The Immortal” packs a serious Death Metal edge that is so very satisfying.

“North Star” is a true tear jerker of an epic Melodeath song, reminding me so much of Insomnium in all the best ways, but even more satisfyingly heavy. The guitars are so tight. The chemistry in this band rivals old Dark Tranquility and Belakor for me. Each element feels so meticulously planned and thought out, but not over produced. It’s tight and clean, but not bloated like so much Metal is for me today. This album could’ve come out in 2010, because of its sheer precision and unfiltered emotion. It doesn’t have 500 layers of Pro Tools edited guitar tracks with huge compression or reverb. It sounds like In Mourning right off the board, which is exactly what I have always loved about them. Yes okay, maybe the songs become a bit predictable after awhile and you know when the instrumentals and soft parts are coming. But there is a “my comfort album” element here to immerse yourself into. It’s just absolutely solid Melodeath and no bullshit.

“The Immortal” closes with one of the best songs on the album, “The Hounding”. It is a blazing Death Metal track with blast beats, Black Metal worthy screams and chilling guitars, and atmospheric elements. What holds this song, and the entire band together is undoubtedly the drums. While they’ve changed drummers from one of my favorite drummers, Joakim Strandberg-Nilsson, now with Dark Tranquility, to Cornelius Althammer, there’s no difference in the Progressive Metal influence that stands out to me. “The Hounding” absolutely sold me on Cornelius Althammer and I am very impressed by his speed.

Overall, “The Immortal” is objectively a great album. The tracks standalone. While the album starts out a bit slow and predictable, it builds and becomes truly great. It will take a few listens to soak it all in, especially if you’re in an over stimulated state like I am these days. The album is worth replays and I think it holds up fairly well to In Mourning’s previous releases. It is nowhere as epic as previous ventures, but it is still surprising and enjoyable. If you like Melodeath, I think this album hits all the right Sadboi goodness. If you don’t like Melodeath, I am not really sure if this is an album to change your mind. If you’ve never heard In Mourning, start with “Song of the Cranes” and then listen to the rest of this album.

LINKS;

https://inmourning.bandcamp.com/

https://www.discogs.com/artist/1830039-In-Mourning

https://www.facebook.com/inmourningband/

Melodeath Supergroup BERZERKER LEGION Review 2023

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Berzerker Legion 2023

The Swedish Melodeath Supergroup presents to be a new force to be reckoned with in 2023 with new hard hitting record “Chaos Will Reign”. This may be the heaviest album I’ve reviewed so far this year and vastly impressed me. I hadn’t listened to these guys but a couple times so I came in to this review pretty much blind. The lead songwriter sent comments and an introduction to the album that intrigued me.

BERZERKER LEGION was founded in 2016 by guitarists Tomas Elofsson (Hypocrisy) and Alwin Zuur (Asphyx) with a vision to create death metal of the most belligerent quality, they recruited a line-up of solid well-known musicians consisting of James Stewart (Vader) on drums, Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath) on vocals and Fredrik Isaksson (Dark Funeral) on bass to complete the Legion.

Alwin Zuur (guitars/songwriter) comments: “During the recent years Tomas and I met each other at shows and festivals regularly. Much of our conversations were about music and styles. During these meetings we found out that we really had a lot of common musical interests.”

“Music wise our debut album ‘Obliterate the Weak’ displays the perfect balance between brutality, melody and harmony. Being a fan of the early 90’s Swedish Gothenburg style, with bands like At The Gates, Eucharist, A Canorous Quintet, as well as being a die-hard fan of brutal old school death metal style with bands like Bolt Thrower, Obituary, I have always wanted to write songs showing a mix of such different death metal genres.

With our new album “Chaos Will Reign” we have further developed ourselves in our typical musical mix of melody and brutality. “Chaos Will Reign” sounds more professional, complete, massive and powerful thanks to Jonas Kjellgren’s production . It has become the logical successor, a huge step forward compared to our debut album “Obliterate the Weak”.”

“Chaos Will Reign” is a sonic blast of 90’s Death Metal and Extreme elements that settle into a speedy groove. This album is an assault on the senses and delivers pounding tracks time after time with clinical beats and extended range Death Growls. This album vastly foreshadows the last album in production quality and modernity that falls in line with more popular sounds in Death Metal today. It is as if Amon Amarth, At the Gates, and Devildriver had a speedy baby. The riffs are chuggy, fast, and groovy switching it up from track to track to add flair and variation. The aggression and desperation of battle drip through this record. My favorite track “Choirs of Anguish” is 90’s Metal to the T with modern speed and pummeling instrumentation. There is a great at least 8 second vocal fry scream on this that stunned me. Pettersson’s range is staggeringly good and can go toe to toe with the young guns in Extreme vocals. The solo is surprisingly melodic and just tasty. There’s also Fleshgod-like orchestration underneath that I absolutely love. Any music that makes me feel like the Gates of Hell are opening for celestial war is going to stick with me, and this whole album just has that feel. The whole album is just really well composed and flows expertly. These guys know what they are doing with this genre. As a drummer, I find the drums to be absolute perfection to the highest level of technicality and speed without losing the raw sound of Death Metal drums. They just do not stop and are a force of nature on “Chaos Will Reign”. There is something so nostalgic throughout this record. Some of the songs have groovier parts in the guitars while keeping complete aggression that reminds me of Pantera. It’s just a great sound that keeps you coming back for more.

This is one of my favorite Death Metal albums of the year by far, and I can’t wait for everyone to positively experience this album as I have. I am not the biggest Death Metal fan, but this album has inspired me to seek out more bands like Berzerker Legion. I am super impressed by this band and would love to experience this music live. I highly recommend this album for fans of Cattle Decapitation, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dimmu Borgir, and Melodeath in general.

Rating: 9/10

Comes out October 27., 2023 via Listenable Records

#NewMusicFriday Metal Edition

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August has been a fortuitous month for Metal music. There are so many clips coming from Metal festivals in Europe that keep us Americans daydreaming about Wacken and Hellfest. Here are some of the best new videos out now.

Infected Rain “Fighter” at Wacken

This is a fantastic showing of just how good IF is live.

Epica “Illusive Consensus”

Epica is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in September. They have remastered their very first DVD which was created as a promo for Epica. This is truly a monumental in-studio performance. It is one of the most special sets I have ever watched. They are also celebrating the special occasion with a live stream on this Saturday. You can buy tickets and merch for this special stream at epicastream.com

Soen “Trials” Performance

Soen is an emotive mix of Doom, Progressive, and Orchestra that captivates upon listening. This video comes from their tenth anniversary DVD and includes an orchestra. I’m most interested to see their reimagined version of Slipknot’s “Snuff”. You can preorder the Dvd here https://lnk.to/SoenATLANTIS

The 2022 Return of Queensryche

Queensryche is a classic Progressive Metal band from Bellevue, Washington. The legends seem to evolve in every era, and this track is the height of modern Queensryche. I hated that Geoff Tate left, but this new sound contains everything I loved about the original band. Todd La Torre is everything we could’ve hoped for and has become a quintessential addition to the band. This guy has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. Digital Noise Alliance is out October 7th

“Pale Tortured Blue” by Draconian at Hellfest 2022

This video is sadly the last performance of Heike Langhans with Draconian, making way for Lisa Johansson to make a surprising return to the band. This is an absolutely classic track for Draconian, being the perfect send-off for one of the most beloved replacement vocalists in Metal history.

While I’m not a fan of this new direction so far, Architects seem to keep evolving and changing their sound and not settling in one genre. It’s sounding much less epic and heavy than the previous album “For Those Who Wish To Exist”. But, I honestly don’t expect a redux of that album. That album is so monumentally good, it’s one that there can’t be a sequel.

“King of Nothing” Threshold

One of my favorite British bands of all time is coming back in 2022. It’s weird not to hear the great Damian Wilson leading the gorgeous vocals. But, Glynn Morgan returning has breathed new life into the band and huge sounds. His range is delectable as well as his guitar playing. I can’t wait to hear what they do with this record. It’s sounding heavy and even more Progressive than past releases. You can pre-order the new album and save it here https://bfan.link/dividing-lines.yde

“Pazuzu” Therion

The original Symphonic Metallers are back with catchy Pazuzu off of Leviathan II out October 28th. This album features the epic Israeli choral group Hellscore led by Noa Gruman of Progressive Metal band Scardust. Therion always stacks the deck, putting the most they can into every release. I am not a huge fan, but I actually really enjoyed this song.

Is There Anybody Out There? Beyond the Black

German Hard Rock band Beyond the Black always brings a powerful and catchy chorus with some absolutely sick riffs. This song is completely different from the other single, Reincarnation, and even more different than the previous album “Horizons”.

“Shadowminds” by The Halo Effect at Wacken

The Melodeth Supergroup has a legendary debut at Wacken, helping celebrate the might festival’s 31st Anniversary. This is their debut single live. The mix leaves little to be desired, but it’s always a pleasure watching Mikael Stanne perform.

What are you currently listening to? Let me know below!

Melodeath Bands You Need to Hear 2022

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Melodeath Bands You Need to Listen To:

    “This list is purely about lesser known Melodeath bands.  Obviously, these bands are not necessarily an introduction to the genre.  If you want to get into the genre check out the heavy hitters such as Arch Enemy, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Before the Dawn, Insomnium, Swallow The Sun, Children of Bodom, Wintersun, Ensiferum, Amorphis, and At The Gates.

If I missed any essentials, comment below or tweet me at @ebombmetal on Twitter.”

In Mourning

    In Mourning is yet another Melodeath offering from Sweden.  But, comparing them to the likes of Dark Tranquility, In Flames, and At the Gates would be criminal.  The small town Swedish “sad bois” are not your typical flavor of Melodeath.  Of my two decades as a Metal fan, I have never heard such a diverse band.  Their layers are endlessly entangled with Doom, Black Sabbath, Power Metal, and Amorphis-like brutality.  To say this band is stunning, is a vast understatement.  From the saga based lyrics, to the classic riffs, to the depressive overtones of three different growlers, this band had me absolutely mesmerized.  Their Weight of the Oceans record is a timeless Melodeath gem that deserves far more press than it has received over the decade.  The opening track “Colossus” has the haunting beauty that I look for in Melodic Death Metal.  The atmospheric aspect transcends you to the ancient oceans as you await a giant sea creature to swallow the earth.

    In Mourning has the most interesting song structure, making every track unpredictable and interesting.  Verses last half of songs, preceding three staggeringly good guitar solos, and  harmonized brutal growls over unique driving leads.  Some songs have so many changes it is hard for me to keep up with at times, but it truly makes the music more interesting.  It’s surprising, because you never know what influence the band will throw in the ring next.  This band is a permanent addition to my collection and I will long await a North American tour.

Essential Tracks: Colossus, Thornwalker, Black Storm

https://www.instagram.com/inmourning/?hl=en

https://inmourning.bandcamp.com/

Omnium Gatherum

    From the brain of Melodeath legend Markus Vanhala of Insomnium, comes a lighter hearted brother of Insomnium.  Omnium Gatherum is Speed meets Melodeath with immensely beautiful atmospheric synths and meanings that make grown men cry in the pit.  Omnium is an enigma of brutal growls from Jukka Peikonen and soft lead melodies from Markus with an occasional melancholic clean vocal.  Omnium has a “battle ready” feel to it.  I find them to be one of the most uplifting Melodeath bands.  It’s a great diversion from the “my wife tragically died and came back to throw me in a well” feeling you get from Amorphis and Insomnium.  

    Seeing this band live twice, I can say they truly play to astound.  They put one hundred percent of their passion and practice into each track and play with immense speed.  It is shocking to watch the dueling guitars play perfectly together at neck break pace.  Their drummer, albeit a different drummer every time I’ve seen them, is a machine of a metronome that keeps everything really tight.  Jukka’s guttural growls for a whole set defy and blow me away.  His vocal stamina is some of the highest for the difficulty of technique he displays.  I also really enjoy the group cleans, as it gives an 80’s arena vibe.  This band is fantastic on record but also one of the best live.  I cannot recommend their catalog enough, specifically from Stuck Here on Snakes Way (2007) and on.

Essential Tracks: The Unknowing, Fortitude, New World Shadows

https://omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum Shop

Countless Skies

    For something fresh and completely different in Melodeath, I recommend UK newcomers Countless Skies.  If you dig the Progressive aspects of Amorphis and also Devin Townsend, this band is a brilliant bright mix of both.  Not to be confused with Pop Atmospheric duo, Silent Skies, these guys are all heavy goodness.  If you like bands with bassists that sing, this band is definitely for you.  Phil Romeo has one of the greatest voices I have ever heard, effortlessly laying tenor operatic on top of Melodeath speed and epic ballads beyond anything I could have imagined.  This band has music that moves; it goes from gloom and doom to heavenly optimistic and heartbreaking.  This is a band that deserves an entire symphony behind it (maybe a show at the famous Plovdiv Amphitheater).  The music composition is beautiful and flawlessly flowing from orchestration to synth to perfect blast beats.  Ross King wails on guitar while executing perfectly dictioned gutturals and soaring screams. Every song builds into something heavier or something immensely melodic and breathtaking. 

Essential, Tracks: Zephyr, Tempest, Moon

https://www.countlessskies.com/

https://countlessskies.bandcamp.com/

http://willowtip.com/bands/details/countless-skies.aspx

Infected Rain

    I may catch some slack from genre sticklers on this one, but I have to include Infected Rain on this list.  The Moldovian Nu-Metal band displays a huge range of influences, I have trouble believing they’re among the likes of Korn and Slipknot.  This heavy groove based band has a plethora of interesting sounds and progressive nuances.  I wouldn’t compare them with any other band on the planet.  Lena Scissorhands is one of the most unique vocalists of the past two decades.  Her range from cleans to gutturals to harmonic screams.  Her fluidity amazes me on every track.  Vidick, the sole writer and mastermind, lays down addictive rhythm guitars ranging from Djent to Pantera.  It grooves better than anything I’ve heard in twenty years.  They’ve been around since 2008, but haven’t hit big time in the USA yet.  I could see this band exploding very soon with the tours they’ve been on lately with Butcher Babies and Stitched Up Heart.  This band deserves much more credit for quality and innovative Groove Melodeath.  Part of me wishes Lena was the new addition to vocaless Fear Factory, but I would hate to see Infected Rain lose her.  That’s how immensely good they are.  She can scream, guttural growl, sing melodically, rap, and go into operatics occasionally.  This band is just staggeringly good.

Essential Tracks: Fighter, Lullaby, Longing

Infected Rain Metal Band from Moldova

https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/infectedrain

Kalmah

    This doomy brutal Melodeath band from 1998 has been vastly underrated and lost under the radar.  I didn’t hear of Kalmah until 2013, after discovering Insomnium live supporting Epica in 2012.  Kalmah is a bit slower, more under-stated in its take on Melodeath.  It’s not as in your face, but the quality is formidable.  Their doomy death metal layered with catchy lead guitars and insane piano melodies sets them apart in the genre.  They cover a huge range of emotions and themes throughout every album, but remain solid.  Older Kalmah is purer Death Metal with Thrash guitars, atmospheric synth, and chaotic heart pounding blast beats.  There’s truly something for every Death Metal fan within the Kalmah catalog.  They’re a much heavier version Children of Bodom with Doom layers intertwined throughout.  They also show some love for Power Metal with dueling guitar melodies.  They’re an unexpected gem, but not surprising being from the most Death Metal country in the world, Finland.

Essential Tracks: For The Revolution, Seventh Swamphony, Blood Rain Cold

Homepage

https://spinefarm.merchnow.com/catalogs/kalmah

Deadtide

    If you’re anything like me as a metal head, you’re constantly looking for underground epic bands to discover.  I came across Deadtide on Bandcamp in a very saturated list of Death Metal bands.  These guys stood out to me, because they offer a more approachable sound to Melodeath.  They have the most clean vocals I’ve heard in the genre and some interesting Progressive Metalcore layers.  I kno;w I am using a lot of genre jargon to describe sounds, but comparing them to anyone specific is not helpful.  Every song i’;ve heard is totally different from the next with Deadtide.  They have flavors of In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Metalcore bands like Born of Osiris and All That Remains.  The Ephemeral EP is a stunning sampler of what Deadtide has to offer.  Check it out below.  We don’t get a lot of quality Melodeath in  the USA, so it was a wonderful surprise to discover these guys.

Essential Tracks; The Rabbit Hole, Alteration, Begin the Dream

http://facebook.com/Deadtide

https://deadtide.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbBbGKOS8E9_MEV82S5q77A

I Talk About Gothenburg “Swedecore” and the New In Flames Album

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Gothenburg, the birthplace of Melodic Death Metal and famous for its “Swedecore” sound is one of my personal favorite inspirations for metal.  From the early to mid 90’s, the metal scene in Gothenburg has grown to be refined and full of variety, growing a heavy and huge metal scene in a beautiful city.

 

Gothenburg metal bands include Amaranthe, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, and Entombed, At the Gates,  just to name a few.  There is no lack of talent in Sweden in general, but this one city has something magical.  There is a recipe for brilliant metal written in Gothenburg; Melodic guitars, dynamic vocals that switch between a growl and soft delivery, hard and loud pounding drums, and lyrics that seem sad but are truly inspiring.  This recipe never fails to wet my appetite for more Melodic Death Metal.  When I came across another influential band, In Flames, my expectations were high when put in the same category as the first bands I listed.  In Flames unfortunately fooled me into believing bands in Gothenburg will never stray away from the brilliance.

 

In Flames released Siren Charms on September 9th, 2014 as a very anticipated album.  In Flames mixes Melodic Death Metal influence with a more modern flavor on this latest album.  At first listen, I thought they were an American band influenced by Chevelle and Dark Tranquility.  I was shocked to find this band was from Gothenburg, Sweden, because of how mainstream and radio friendly this album appeared to me.  Upon more listens, Siren Charms does have its Gothenburg influences, you just have to listen harder to hear it.  It is not In Flames best album by any means, but Siren Charms dares to break out of the mold of Swedecore.

 

In Plain View opens the new album with a building heavy intro, breaking into a nice groove reminiscent of Arch Enemy’s guitar lines.  The vocals are cleaner on this one, on the whole album to be honest, and lacks some solid emotion throughout.  The album continues with Everything’s Gone, a faster and heavier track than the later with that same cool groove to it.  Unfortunately what came to mind on the clean vocals to me, is Marilyn Manson, but maybe you hear something different and less grading.  Paralyzed is dark and haunting with a dual guitar overlay and better sounding clean vocals from Anders.  I found Paralyzed to be a little more on the Metalcore side, but with Sybreed like vocals.  Next is one of my least favorite tracks on the album, Through Oblivion.  I feel like this song falls flat and is a serious low point in the album, losing the power and groove other tracks have.

 

With Eyes Wide Open, picks the album back up from Through Oblivion, into a more melodic and better composed sound from In Flames.  The song is begging to be one of those slow building epics and it achieves it well.  With Eyes Wide Open  is so good and different that it sounds misplaced on the album.  The title track on the album follows the epic, with a rhythmic driving sound and desperate vocal delivery.  Siren Charms inserts a much needed bit of emotion on the album.  One of the highlights of the album, is When the World Explodes, as In Flames go back to a more European metal sound.  This track features beautiful and enchanting vocals from Stockholm Opera Soprano, Emilia Feldt, which really add an amazing touch to this song.  The single, Rusted Nail, pounds and drives just like it went high on the charts in Sweden and also North America.  It is still one of the best songs on the album.  After that, Dead Eyes comes in and once again Siren Charms falls flat.  This song could honestly be left of the album and it certainly wouldn’t be missed.  Monsters in the Ballroom picks the album back up a bit, but sounds to me like 90% of what’s being played on rock radio right now.  The album finally closes with Filtered Truth, an apt disappointment of a generic song, lacking dynamics and anything to make me want to listen to this album again.

 

Siren Charms was disappointing and sounds like a complete departure from their legendary sound.  I can only hope that they will return to their roots after this flop of an album.