Around 2005 or so, I chanced upon an unknown and unsigned Dutch band called Seraphique. I don’t recall the circumstances, either performing at a mini-festival or supporting one band or another, but as a fledgling metalhead, I was enamored by its off-kilter brand of gothic death, even purchasing the only album they’d ever wind up releasing, Chrysalis. When nostalgia compels me to listen to it now, I can hear the production flaws, the awkwardness in the performances, and the cliches in the songwriting. But I can also hear the promise the band held at the time, a seed of something different and powerful that never quite developed. Inver is another unknown and unsigned yet unusual gothic metal band. Inver has no releases, no demos, and barely an online presence to speak of. I can’t even confirm the country of origin with certainty, though British or Irish seem the most likely petri dishes. Is Inver my new Seraphique? Does it hold such promise?
Well, it doesn’t hold no promise. Inver has an intriguing vision, using electronic sections to set a cold and distant mood between bouts of despondent metal tilted towards Paradise Lost and Katatonia. And on the album’s front half, the melodic inclinations serve them well enough. The guitars aren’t going to transform the landscape of metal, but they dish out some decent riffs and even an enjoyable solo or two. Parsing the promo text (which is hyperbolic even to the standards of its peers), a bleak atmosphere appears to be one of the most prominent goals of the band and they certainly succeed at creating that.
But in the attempt to bring their vision to fruition, Inver stumbles time and time and time again. The most obvious issue is the vocals, for which the kindest description is “untrained.” I don’t hate the timbre, which is in the same ballpark as Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), but without any of the emotional projection or technical consistency. Wavering awkwardness pushes ahead through verses clearly meant to evoke grit and melancholy. When the growls come in, they are breathy and insubstantial, lacking in impact but also failing to convey a more ethereal personality. Worst of the bunch are the backing vocals, which lack any harmony and sound more like someone got drunk at the family party and started singing along to the background music.
If the vocals were the sole problem, I’d give Inver more credit, but despite best intentions, the electronics nail the coffin shut twice over. In their attempt to provide atmosphere, they merely annoy, chucking some low-energy beep-boop loops over a repetitive beat. Though “Lost Traveller” makes some effort at integrating the lethargic techno with the metal, it’s an exception, as most tracks merely flick a toggle to do a genre bait-and-switch. “Devil’s Hands” never even leaves the electronics mode, taking the shape of an overlong interlude with hissy whispers that mostly serve to prepare you for how often “We All Get Lost” is going to repeat its title at you. It’s a lot. On the other hand, the production is not awful. The mix can be a bit haphazard and I get the feeling the guitar sound is factory stock, but the master is easy on the ears and there’s no clipping, odd spikes, or artifacts.
’Not as bad as it could have been’ is the definition of damning with faint praise, of course. Given the state of On This Earth, however, it was the best I could do. The only diagnosis I can make is that Inver has a severe case of premature debut. This would have been serviceable as a demo: a jumping-off point to improve, hone the sound and identity of the band, polish all the little details, gain some more technical chops, and look up the word “harmony” in the dictionary. Inver can only improve from here. There is promise to this band, distant though it may be. Releasing this as a full-length is their only big misstep, because it does mean I must judge the album as such, not as a demo. In that capacity, On This Earth is just not good enough.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Website: facebook.com/inverdark
Releases Worldwide: January 19th, 2024
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