“Can you tell my ghost, that he doesn’t belong here anymore.“
Imminence have made a name for themselves over the years with their distinct, cinematic sound. Defined by the unique violin work of Eddie Berg, their sound has allowed them to cut through in the metalcore genre with their anthemic soundscapes. Because of that, they have snowballing in popularity, getting bigger and perpetually gaining traction with every subsequent release. Now enter Heaven in Hiding, their newest release slated to be out this Friday. Metalcore done well, peppered with soulful violin in between, Imminence seem to just keep getting better. After a wistful opener “I am become a name…”, the album opens up with “Ghost”.
Heavy, hard-hitting guitars & drums pair so well with the violin, and Berg’s uncleans here are better than ever. At various points on the album, he could easily be mistaken for being Architects’ Sam Carter. His cleans on the other hand sound like a second violin, extremely emotive and soulful, managing to express the lyrics through his tone. Of note are the range found in his screams, jumping between the lowest of lows and the most soaring of highs.
“Temptation” and “Chasing Shadows” display how effective the strings work to develop a contrast between the heavier elements and the more soft, somber parts. It adds a balance to the tracks that gives the band some form of dynamic control to just flip moods on the fly, which they utilize this to their best potential across these songs. The latter of the two tracks has some of the catchiest riffs on the album, courtesy of guitarists Harald Barret and Alex Arnoldsson.
Peter Handström is phenomenal on the drums across the album, and the song “Moth To A Flame” is a perfect example of how pivotal his drumwork is to the sound of the record, despite me specifically gushing over the violin for much of this review. Complementing the more somber songs such as “Alleviate”, and also the more headbang-oriented ones such as “Temptation”, Handström forms an important backbone to the band’s sound.
I do wish there was a bit more string work on some of the songs such as “Enslaved” and “Disappear”. There’s barely any of it in these two songs, which sadly regiments the tracks to being just your run of the mill average metalcore. No matter how well they manage to do it, after a taste of the violin, I do not want to go back to metalcore-sans-violin.
“Lost and Left Behind” is the salvation to my ears after a brief stint of disappointment. Starting off with an arena rock-style riff following into a generous amount of violin, it gets the snowball rolling down the mountain once again. It’s yet another example of how Imminence play around with the mood-switching dynamic that the strings offer.
The final stretch of three songs, “This Too Shall Pass” (این نیز بگذرد), “∞” and “Heaven in Hiding” are a massive treat. The first two are basically interludes, but feel like one big (welcome) violin solo, with Berg singing melancholically alongside, and I’m all for it. Closer “Heaven in Hiding” is the perfect way to close the album, summarizing all the sonic assets of the band into one song, and ending on a truly satisfying breakdown.
Overall, Heaven In Hiding is a massive record. With the band just getting bigger since their last release, both sonically and in popularity, these songs can easily fill arenas. Every element is done with utmost precision, while also being symbiotic with the other elements. The violin is a definitive addition to the band’s sound that manages to give them a unique identity, despite the base being some fairly basic metalcore.
Heaven in Hiding is out this Friday, November 28th via Arising Empire and you can pre-order it here. For all things music, stay tuned to Boolin Tunes.
8.5/10