Missed Album Review: Inhalo – Sever

Style: Progressive Metal, Alt Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Karnivool, Porcupine Tree, Vulkan
Review by: Christopher
Country: Netherlands
Release date: 24 June, 2022

We live in anxious times. Financial insecurity, geopolitical instability, invisible diseases, and a paranoid world of isolation. Feeling a bit anxious is understandable, and many bands of late have taken up the mental health mantle as both outlet for themselves and catharsis for likeminded fans. Dutch four-piece Inhalo are one of the latest bands to do just that on their debut album Sever, which dropped mid-2022.

Sever delves headfirst into gooseflesh and panic. On “Subterfuge” vocalist Fons Herder intones the refrain “A tall order, be still my heart”, a simple but effective evocation of lurking anxiety. Indeed, Herder’s breathy vocals add a unique dynamic to the songs, at times collapsing mid-note into a ragged whisper—a worthy complement to the anxious exploration. His timbre is redolent of Dan Tompkins (Tesseract), and he can certainly belt out a note with the same power when he wants to, although his refreshing sense of restraint sets him apart.

One can certainly hear the influence of Tool and Porcupine Tree here, but Inhalo don’t limit themselves to mere imitation, instead mixing in a range of additional flavours into their prog rock/alt-metal foundation. Roy Willems’ lead guitar work is some of the most interesting I’ve heard in this kind of prog for some time; the tone is absolutely gorgeous, and he journeys through bluesier and more heavy metal styles than one would usually expect in prog. Complex polyrhythms predominate, Opethian diminished chords tickle the edges of songs—particularly on “Sisyphean”—and distorted harsh vocals, playing the mocking voice of anxiety itself, perforate a couple of later tracks. 

The rhythm section is tight as hell: Peter Cat’s bass work drives hard—his best work perhaps appearing on “Mirror Door”—and is nicely audible in the mix, while drummer Pepjin Gros’ pounds away at the toms and keeps those polyrhythms precise. There are times when Inhalo lean too heavily on the Tool influence and these aren’t as engaging as their more creative sojourns. Fortunately, they throw in enough fresh sounds that no song ever grows stale, and I’d certainly love to see them continue to distinguish themselves from the alt-metal crowd on future releases; that necessary creativity is clearly present. 

On “Mirror Door” harsh vocals representing the voice of anxiety mock “you can’t even look in the mirror without seeing me” while Herder defiantly proclaims that he must “stop finding ways to stigmatise myself”. On “Subterfuge” we hear that “two paths burn each end of the path on which I tread”, evoking the sense of danger lurking behind and ahead in anxiety; the sense of entrapment is palpable and the lyrics communicate the various facets of foreboding that accompany anxiety both intelligently and cathartically.

I know we were late to the party, but let us at the Subway reaffirm what you may already know: that Inhalo have delivered one of the most promising progressive alt-metal debuts for some time. Utilising crisp production and an array of unexpected influences into a familiar sound, this is an assured, catchy, and deftly composed record that signals a promising career ahead during which I hope Inhalo will continue to grow and evolve. 

Recommended tracks: Sisyphean, Subterfuge, Last Vestige
You may also like: Sermon, Ihlo, Hyco
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram

Inhalo is:
– Fons Herder (vocals)
– Roy Willems (guitars)
– Peter Cat (bass)
– Pepjin Gros (drums)