Day: February 5, 2012

Together with Helevorn, Evadne and Autumnal, In Loving Memory constitute the highest expression of death doom in the Iberian peninsula. The Spanish doomsters were born as a band in 2005 and a year later released their first demo influenced by one of the trends of the time, namely gothic doom with female vocals. The decision to turn towards a more robust sound, as well as to entrust the vocals to guitarist Juanma, proved to be successful, and already in 2008’s Tragedy & Moon they showed the qualities that we find in Negation Of Life, a work that presents a band in great shape and focused on the goal of producing a heavy and melancholic sound as the genre requires. In this regard, we can place In Loving Memory in the stylistic groove traced, at other latitudes, by Swallow The Sun in particular, but without the band giving up the necessary personality. The album is characterized by strong riffs, melancholic solos, a corrosive growl and an effective but never intrusive keyboard work, all supported by a commendable production. Thanks to these characteristics and the excellent balance between aggressive parts and melodic moments, all the tracks can be listened to without any difficulty. The opening track, Even A God Can Die, is maybe the one that gives less space to melodies, reserving only some short piano inserts to contrast the heaviness of guitars and rhythmic base, but already from the following Skilled Nihilism the proposal of the Iberians becomes more immediate and catchy. Adversus Pugna Tenebra starts with a delicate arpeggio and a whispered voice and then flows into a melodic riff that recalls another great Mediterranean band like the Greek Nightfall. The title track is another splendid episode whose melancholic atmospheres would not have been out of place in a masterpiece like The Morning Never Came, while November Cries and Through A Raindrop are more involving at the end when Jorge and Juanma’s guitars build poignant melodic lines. Shimmering Divinity emerges as one of the peaks of the album thanks to a seductive guitar harmony that then gives way to a break with a clear death matrix, and then surrenders to those painful atmospheres that characterize the whole work. Celestial is the most acoustic episode of the lot, while Nulla Religio, Solum Veritas closes the album as it began, under the banner of an angry melancholy outlined by texts pervaded by a boundless bitterness. Solitude Productions (here through the BadMoodMan sublabel) keeps on proposing us relatively new bands but all of high level and In Loving Memory are not an exception, getting our unconditional praise for the consistency of their proposal and for the ability to provide an abundant hour of exciting music.

2011 – BadMoodMan Music