Review: In Vain – Solemn

Style: Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Black Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Insomnium, In Mourning, Disillusion, Countless Skies
Country: Norway
Release date: 12 April 2024

My knowledge of progressive melodeath bands is by no means comprehensive, but I thought I knew all the best ones until my colleague Zach screamed at me in his typically hyperenthusiastic way, “DUDE, YOU HAVEN’T HEARD ÆNIGMA?!”. So, I went and sought out this mysterious In Vain he spoke of and found them to be the sort of band who are very impressive, but hadn’t quite made their masterpiece yet; Ænigma came close, and Currents was an undeniably strong entry in their growing discography, but they weren’t truly blowing me away. Sometimes, though, you know that a band has that innate potential to make a true masterpiece, and when fifth album Solemn was announced, I had truly high hopes.   

In Vain are masters of melody and grandeur, and every track on Solemn sounds like it was written overlooking a fjord during a cataclysmic hurricane coinciding with a volcanic eruption. Where melodeath is often a melancholic genre (“sadboi” as a certain site, let’s call them “Enraged Heavy Music Person”, would call it), In Vain possess a certain fortitude, throwing in some major chords for a sense of defiant hope in the face of life’s attritional qualities. When they sing “What do we fear with all our hearts? Why do our burdens tear us apart? Why do we search within our soul? What are the things we are yearning for?” on the chorus of “Shadows Flap Their Black Wings” it’s thoughtful but stoic. That vein runs throughout, perhaps best showcased by the rhapsodic use of horns, and the occasional swerves into an almost stadium rock sensibility, as in the lead guitar motif on “Where the Winds Meet” which makes you want to sway your lighter in the air as Nedland belts out a refrain about a leaf soaring through the air, or the unexpectedly major key mid-section of “To the Gallows”. And then, naturally, riffs return and things turn gloomy and heavy in the Opethian fashion, the contrast bringing out the best of both styles.

Solemn continues the trend of vocal versatility. With two lead vocalists and three backing singers, In Vain have sometimes been vocally saturated in the past lending a sense of discontinuity to their sound—too many voices jostling around to present a unified sound. Here, `they’ve restricted themselves to one backing vocalist, guitarist Johnar Håland, who bolsters Sindre Nedland’s stronger-than-ever mellifluous cleans in the absolutely addictive choruses, and we’ve still got the mix of deathly growls and Frigstad’s blackened screams on the harsh side. This tighter focus means that the unexpected vocal swings, such as the rapidly rhythmic, hardcore style barks on “Beyond the Pale”, stand out all the more. Subterranean Masquerade’s Davidavi “Vidi” Dolev—a favourite here at the Subway—guests on final track “Watch For Me On the Mountain” and when I heard Dolev’s sombre, almost Bowie-esque timbre opening the finale “Watch For Me on the Mountain” I nearly stood up and clapped, like an American on a plane that’s successfully landed (which was meant to be a dig at Americans but they’re kind of justified in a world of Boeing 787 MAX’s). It’s a colossal closer with an enormous, emotive choral chorus that truly sounds like it’s emanating out of the empyrean. It’s an incredible finale to an already amazing album, and it takes a lot of confidence to close your album with a guest vocalist, but the gamble pays off dividends, and Dolev is sublime.

Different instrumental and textural flavours successfully augment the blackened death across Solemn. Melodic sax hits in the outrageously heavy “Season of Unrest” lamenting gently in an atmospheric break until the band explode back into action and the sax turns vicious, leading into another sublime guitar solo. The brass accompaniment, meanwhile, is thick as treacle; on “Shadows Flap Their Black Wings” and “Eternal Waves” it’s almost like a refrain of vuvuzelas—a powerful wall of textural sound like a battering ram at the heart of the mix. Strings also get some use, such as in the ominous pulses accenting “At the Going Down of the Sun”, as well as in “Eternal Waves” where it supports a noodling bass solo with a metronomic electronica pulse beneath. These subtle inflections of both horns and strings tip the compositions on Solemn over the edge into true grandiosity; some bands rely on such accompaniment as a crutch, but In Vain are incredibly discerning and by no means reliant on such tricks. 

It took until late in the review to realise I’d barely mentioned the individual performances of the musicianship, and I think that’s because In Vain are working at such incredible levels of synchrony here that Solemn sounds less like an album and more like some self-generated sonic gift out of the divine. Pedersen’s lead guitar parts are outstanding, with some truly insane solos (“Shadows Flap Their Black Wings”, “Season of Unrest”, “Beyond the Pale”) and sublime lead licks that often have an almost power metal sense of epic beauty. Solbakk’s drumming is brilliant intense and intricate but again, perfectly leads and complements the tonal shifts. Bøe’s bass pops when it needs to and bolsters the rhythm section when it’s holding back, and Håland’s riffs are frequently awesome (and take an Akerfeldtian tone on “At the Going Down of the Sun”). But it’s that overall sense of composition that reigns supreme, just as an orchestra is greater than the sum of its parts, so is Solemn.

Mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren and Tony Lindgre, Solemn sounds basically perfect. There’s a reason Fascination Street is one of the most sought out production studios in metal and it’s all there in the crisp, crystalline sound. If there’s any criticism to level at Solemn it’s that it might be a track too long. In Vain put a fresh spin on every track, doing all they can to not fall into homogeneity; there’s always a hook or a stand-out “moment” to define every track, and while some riffs and ideas teeter on the brink of outstaying their welcome, for the most part In Vain avoid falling into this trap. 

A masterful refinement of their sound to its ultimate form, Solemn is undeniably In Vain’s masterpiece, cementing their place among prog death’s leading lights, effortlessly juxtaposing intensity with beauty, complexity with catchiness, and energy with doomyness. There’s no doubt this is one of the strongest releases of 2024, a must-listen that’ll likely be seen again when those best of the year lists come along; watch for it on the mountain.

Recommended tracks: Shadows Flap Their Black Wings, Beyond the Pale, Eternal Waves, Watch For Me on the Mountain
You may also like: Wills Dissolve, Eternal Storm, Grey Skies Fallen, Barren Earth
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Indie Recordings – Bandcamp | Facebook

In Vain is:
– Johnar Håland (guitars, backing vocals)
– Sindre Nedland (lead vocals and clean vocals)
– Kjetil D. Pedersen (solo guitar)
– Andreas Frigstad (vocals)
– Tobias Øymo Solbakk (drums)
– Alexander Bøe (bass)