Never before has hardcore been so poetic.
Amongst the masses of similar sounding bland 'Scream scene' bands that occupy the industry these days, it is certainly stimulating to hear hardcore done with real passion and a poetic sense of melodic romanticism echoing throughout the music, it really just reinforces the sheer emotion of the music through something other than just sheer brutal volume of noise. Bands within this genre too often forget that hardcore metal is still structured music and should be played with expression and flair to allow the whole emotion within that sheer power to show through and boost the force of the sound.
Hardcore is so much more than screaming and heavily struck guitar riffs, it's about emotion, force, expression and power, it should always remain melodic in places to keep the music from falling into all-out unstructured mess and newcomers Inked In Blood are all out to show the others just exactly how it should be done. After the incredible success of their latest EP 'Awakening Vesuvius' Inked In Blood deliver to us their latest offering of prestigious hardcore metal 'Lay Waste The Poets' which is an energetic, intelligent and emotional release guaranteed to be just as successful.
Inked In Blood are more than just a hardcore band; their music is creative and heavy, packed with passionate lyrics and immaculate use of melody and art within music. It is sophisticated, polished and beautiful packed to the brim with melodic and driven riffs, delicate overhead melodies. There is a perfect balance between clean vocals and screaming, still brash and violent enough to be classed as hardcore vocals but melodic and clear enough to be coherent and easily understood, not laying waste to the poetic and passionate lyrics within. The lyrics are particularly beautiful and really take the limelight, setting immense standards within hardcore, they reach so much further beyond the typical 'Teen Angst' issues that you would expect from hardcore but rather touch upon deeper issues and concepts, compassion, life and humanity being among them creating truly intelligent and inspiring music.
The structure of the instrumental music itself is very much akin to melodic death metal, becoming more of a resemblance to the music of such accomplished Scandinavian bands as In Flames and Dark Tranquillity than their American counterparts they have been linked to. The power and emotion that drives the music on is simply and purely all there to be heard, it's just so different and leagues above anything else out there under the label of hardcore right now. It's clear right from the start from the opening track 'All That Remains' that this is a very different breed of hardcore as the guitars and drums bring the track in with sharply played staccato rhythm patterns gradually joined by a repeating riff that soars above the war-like rhythm really creating the mood. Soon the lead vocalist opens with a screaming rageous "All that remains..." and the rhythms slowly pick up the pace, gradually become faster before exploding into the speeding adrenaline filled riffs of the verse that really gets the heart pumping. Filled with passion before the song even gets up to full potential, the verses rage on with incredible force and emotion, the snares crashing away over the prestigious raging guitar rhythms and thundering bass lines that outline and define passionate and sentimental lyrics. The pace remains driven until a quiet and atmospheric guitar riffs heralds a bridge that gradually builds up into a really fiery example of inspirational hardcore as the vocals chant a short affirmation for life over the top. This build up gradually becomes heavier again and mutates into a heavy ending that relives the ancient sounds of tribal chanting closing on a violent and brutal scream.
'Lest I Sleep The Sleep Of Death' is a deliciously dark and adrenaline filled melodic death metal serenade of love, betrayal and death. It's beautifully poetic lyrics are cleverly balanced and split between screaming and clear acoustic vocals wonderfully supported by magical romantic and epic sounding guitars, especially in the choruses which drive on, pumping out music like a gigantic heartbeat, the pulse always energetic and full of power. The chorus and opening contrast amazingly, verses and opening having a real sense of violent desperation surrounding their aura compared to the rising emotive fire of the chorus, which starts off slow and gradually creeps into a powerful and emotive serenade of bittersweet imagery after an up tempo build up from the ever warm sounding bass and brash guitars. 'Compassion Is My Own Dissent' is another perfectly dark and romantically heavy display of hardcore at its finest from this band. Here we see immaculate execution of call and response technique between bass and rums and incredibly technical fills and hammer-ons used on both. This track is technically and musically very challenging with each and every structure perfectly interwoven and complimentary of the next. The closing chorus is incredibly beautiful, the music rising so heavily and powerfully that its sound is almost choral in it's resonation. The way the rhythm and lead guitars work together is breathtaking, the lead taking huge leaps and descending down the scale of the riff between rhythm guitar parts like a fish out of water, handled with incredible smoothness and skill. The movement of the music is just so fluid and clean cut, there are no sharp breaks or flaws in the sound and the balance between heavy and chilled metal is perfect, just enough to keep the adrenaline pumping and the interest in the music without the headaches. Combine this with a totally contrasting and mellowed-out instrumental by the name of 'Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry' featuring just guitars and one cello of an oriental and mellow starry-night charm and you have an exquisite piece of creativity, one that is sure to break never before reached barriers and set the world straight on how hardcore should be played. Inked In Blood have delivered beautiful melodic hardcore that borders upon melodic/symphonic death metal that is truly inspired and driven with true passion and emotion, the way it should be.