Unearthly Trance – In The Red
Rise Above Records – RISECD55 – 25th October 2004
By Russell Garwood
In The Red is a recording of filthy blackened doom. Monolithic riffs push the music forward in slow motion, yet with unstoppable momentum. The screeched vocals lend themselves to black metal comparisons, and prove the harshest element in an already caustic sound, while the bass is powerful and driving. Crushing drums, for the most part, move slower than a sloth in quicksand, yet occasionally they break into crashing – dare I say it – up-tempo moments. This is where the release differs from
Unearthly Trance’s previous outing
Season of Séance, Science of Silence; there are moments of melody. They may be
very well hidden, but very occasionally you can recognise something that may be a groove. Perhaps even a rock influence creeping in? Fuzzy guitars show Iommi style trills, yet for the most part tend to focus on the immense riffs mentioned earlier. Occasional whispers drive home a pitch-black atmosphere, while effective use of repetition is to be expected.
As you can imagine,
Unearthly Trance are an acquired taste. If you like your doom about as subtle as a rusty grater to the face - downright nasty, aggressive and claustrophobic – this release is a must. If you would prefer to hear pretty songs about flowery fields, perhaps
In The Red is one to miss out. Nevertheless, it comes highly recommended to all sick puppies out there. Not
real sick puppies, I hasten to add; listening to this in full may just shove the poor thing off this mortal coil…
7.5/10
Official Unearthly Trance website
