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

August 29, 2025 / metalvalkyrie2014 / 1 Comment

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/

Swedish Metalcore Band Adept Debuts New Gorgeous Track

June 11, 2025 / metalvalkyrie2014 / Leave a comment

Fall Death Metal Highlights

November 14, 2014 / metalvalkyrie2014 / Leave a comment

Fall of 2014 has entailed an assault of highly anticipated Death Metal releases. Compared to the whole of 2014, this fall has become extremely heavy with new pounding releases. There’s anything from Black Metal, Gothenburg and Swedecore, to Theatrical Death metal, making for many tastes to choose from. Below is some of the highlighted releases for Death Metal and simple reviews to give an insight of what to pick up at your record store. I will include less mainstream releases in deeper reviews later.

Cavalera Conspiracy

The Thrash Metal band brought to fame by the talented and hardcore Cavalera brothers, is back in 2014 with Pandemonium. The band is prized for taking Thrash Metal and making it even more extreme, fast, and technical. With their albums you expect high intensity, demonized lyrics, and an assault of drums and guitars. The brothers have created their own brand of metal that has become extremely popular in America. Their previous albums Inflikted and Blunt Force Trauma were scorching with fast and grinding riffs and intense vocals, mixing energy and thrashing with technicality. Their previous sound was excellent, but their new sound is a departure and even heavier than the previous albums.

Rather than being Modern Thrash Metal, the band has gone for a Grindcore sound that is certainly more popular in the 2010s. The lyrics are less audible and more shouty on Pandemonium, making it a little more hardcore than previous albums. The tracks have a raw sound, showing that their music is refreshingly not over produced. The drums are even more highlighted by Igor on this album, with his technical and fast Thrash drumming. The album sounds like a raw 80’s Thrash album, throwing back to the days of Slayer and Death Angel. Overall, it’s a typical Grindcore and Thrash album that any fans of the genre will foam over and enjoy every track on it. It is pure unedited, intense, assaulting, pounding noise, which is exactly what most Grindcore fans and bands strive for. It is everything you expect in a typical Thrash Metal album, which is why I absolutely dislike this album.

Pandemonium is nothing special. It is a poorly mixed and poorly arranged compilation of pure noise. Yes the Cavalera brothers have made a big imprint on Metal, but this album does not live up to the expectations of the two. Everything is uneven and distorted, making it difficult to pick out any good or catchy qualities in the music, Thrash Metal continues to lack any changes or dynamics that make it desirable for me to listen to. This album is not even close to the Thrash Metal that was recorded as demos in the late 70’s and 80’s, it is even worse quality than those original demos of Metallica and Slayer and Anthrax. Pandemonium is a step backwards for metal.

Album Rating 4/10

Machine Head

Rob Flynn and Machine Head are back in 2014. The American Thrash Metal pioneers release Bloodstone and Diamonds, a highly anticipated and talked about album that is currently blowing up Facebook dashboards and metal sites. Of course the band has remained in the spotlight with their recently canceled North American tour with Epica and Rob Flynn criticizing other bands. These controversial media centered stories have everyone in America talking about Machine Head, making them one of the top artists in rock of 2014. Finally, the band has the new content to back up the outbursts of new and old fans with Bloodstone and Diamonds.

The new album is heavy, drilling, tight, and intense with every instrument in a devilish harmony. The guitar work on this album is melodic and technical, like past albums, but even more refined. Each song is different from the rest, some have more melodic undertones while others are just pure Thrash Metal. The slow parts to the heavy and intense breakdowns show that the entire band put a lot of effort into this album. It is a huge departure from Unto the Locust, but perhaps in a good way. The new albums is back to their Thrash Metal roots, which certainly makes the older fans happier. However, the band manages to preserve a more melodic sound with some clean vocals and dueling guitar parts, making the album more enjoyable to listen to than most Thrash Metal albums.

I am not a fan of Machine Head and Rob Flynn’s opinions, so I will admit the new album doesn’t excite me as much. I have never been a huge Thrash Metal fan, because I find the music to be just pure noise without any true direction or talent. The genre is full of garage bands who strive to pound instruments as loud and as fast as they can, but not all bands considered Thrash Metal are just noise. That’s Machine Head’s redeeming quality in my eyes and is why I don’t entirely dislike Bloodstone and Diamonds. The artistry of mixing heavy and fast playing with melodic and slow characteristics is an incredible quality to a metal band; Machine Head is certainly one of those bands who succeeds at this artistry and why they will keep having highly rated and proclaimed albums. Bloodstone and Diamonds is much better than I thought it would be.

Overall Album Rating 7/10

Nachtblut

German Metal Band, Nachtblut, bring us a new dark and disturbing album in 2014 with Chimonas. The band is known for making German Speed and Black Metal with heavy guitars rattling growling, and haunting synth parts to send shivers down your spine. The band also infuses Folk themes into their blackened metal, like an extreme dark and twisted version of Eluveitie. The band’s instrumentation is really tight, technical, and all over the place. The changing tempos and waning rhythms keep the music interesting and far departed from being one dimensional. While you may not speak full German, their music is honestly still enjoyable and fun to listen. The well written quality in their music is actually quite surprising and desirable.

Nachtblut’s new album, Chimonas, is all of these qualities refined and boosted, proving Black Metal is very much alive. With non stop heavy and dark tracks like “Gotteskrieger”, “Kalt wie Grab”, and “Schwarz”, the band appeals to the traditional Black Death Metal fans. Then the band proves they’re anything but one dimensional with softer sorrow filled tracks like “Und immer wenn die Nacht anbricht” and folk metal anthem “Wien 1683”. The tracks are all incredibly different from each other and while versed in different styles of European Metal. Every song stands out from anything I’ve heard this year, in a good way. As far as Black Metal albums go, Chimonas is one of the best I’ve heard for quite some time and highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys European Death Metal.

Overall Album Rating 8/10

At The Gates

Renowned Melodic Death Metal and Gothenburg origin band, At The Gates has come to the ears of American listeners with new album At War With Reality. The Swedish Death Metal band mixes extreme vocals, technical driving guitars, double bass power drumming, and true melodic sounds for an extremely unique form of metal. Past albums and this latest one also have roots in American Thrash Metal, inspired by Slayer specifically. At the Gates also differentiates from other Gothenburg bands as they have shrieking vocals as opposed to guttural growls. The band also doesn’t include dueling soloing guitarists like In Flames and Omnium Gatherum. They have their own take on Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal, proving the genre is full of unique and polished gems,

At War With Reality is an intense, blood curdling, spine grinding Death Metal with catchy melodic undertones from the guitars. It is a typical At The Gates record with absolutely heavy breakdowns and creative offbeat shredding. The vocals are typical from the band, hard to understand and sometimes abrasive, clashing with the downtuned shredding. The vocals on this album sound pretty misplaced in my opinion and make the music sound emotionally flat, lacking any inspiration. While the album is great jamming Death Metal, it lacks any dimension or meaning to keep you playing the record more than once. The band may be legendary, but are not immune to becoming one dimensional or a rerun of a record. Yes, At War With Reality is different from Terminal Spirit Disease and With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness, but it lacks any qualities that made those albums Death Metal classics. It is certainly not the caliber I expected, especially after Slaughter of the Soul. At War With Reality may be a highly purchased and loved album of 2014, but I can’t find any reason why it is so popular. Everything is so subdued on this record and plain, lacking any strife or passion in the workmanship. Either the band is tired and have gone for a mainstream sound, or the mastering of the record has turned everything good about the band down and one leveled. This album could be a lot better with more time spent on the production and mastering.

Overall Album Rating: 4/10

Devilment

Devilment is a project created by guitarists Daniel Finch and Colin Parks, with the help from Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth. Devilment is a Death Metal project, mixing macabre themes and heavy instrumentation. The inspirations are typical; Witchcraft, Goth, Erotic themes, and whatever seems to amuse the writer. The project aims to be a little more mainstream than typical Death Metal and be creative and interesting to see live. Their new album The Great and Secret Show, is a mix of modern metal and underground metal sound. It is definitely a unique release in 2014, but is getting mixed reviews from all different metal fans.

The Great and Secret Show is unique, but nothing new to music. It is filled with Dani Filth’s typical grunting and howling vocals as well as his cheeky and creative lyrics. The album sounds like a mix between “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and a remix of a Rammstein album. It is definitely more theatrical than Dani Filth’s other projects, even more theatrical and dramatic than Cradle of Filth. The album could definitely be a horror movie soundtrack, because of the darkness and simplicity to it. It has an interesting mix Gothic Metal, Thrash Metal, Extreme Metal, and Symphonic Metal blended. However, the album lacks anything impressive or surprising. It is a very one dimensional album, lacking any dynamics or any catching sounds. It’s simply just flat. The theatrics and themes carry the actual musical content much farther than the music itself, meaning without the mood and Gothic feel the release would probably be a huge flop.

Overall Album Rating: 4/10