Reviews list for Imminence - The Black (2024)

Swedish violin-fueled metalcore masters Imminence has been gaining a lot more fans with their successful 2021 album Heaven in Hiding. Their growing maturity has pulled them towards their vision to please metalcore listeners with a unique atmospheric sound. Several singles for that album and its deluxe edition have spawned, and they came with immersive music videos for anyone wanting more than just the music experience.

And now they're back with their new album The Black! Despite half the amount of songs having already been released as singles, their great consistency is still on, with heaviness from breakdowns and melodies from hooks. And of course, the violin is what helps them stay nicely different.

As hazy synths rise from the darkness, "Come Hell or High Water" starts off sludgy and melancholic. It slowly builds up with a chorus chanting the song title, and it's not until really close to the end when it reaches its insane crescendo. The hypnotic music then gives way for "Desolation", rolling with fast punches. "Heaven Shall Burn" is a grand highlight, a godly piece of metalcore to enjoy! Another brilliant highlight "Beyond the Pale" attacks with thick riffs and rhythms that fit with the drumming of Peter Hanstrom.

"Death by a Thousand Cuts" is another f***ing banger I'm glad to encounter. The verses of "Come What May" are filled with heavy aggression, which is great for the band's longest song to date. The perfection is knocked off by the odd interlude "Cul-de-Sac". Then "The Call of the Void" is ultra-heavy, with verses of yelling "RAGE! RAGE!!"

The perfection of Imminence's new singles continues with "Continuum", sounding both brutal and beautiful. Like f***ing beyond beautiful! "L'appel du Vide" is not a French version of "The Call of the Void" despite its title and length, just another unnecessary interlude while working as a nice break. The perfect title track is an epic piece of majestic symphonic metalcore! It segues to its similar-titled but translated to French outro "Le Noir" to end it all smoothly.

Imminence is the kind of the band you don't just listen to but rather experience. Let your mind absorb The Black and remember the band's game-changing ways in the metalcore scene. A big impact rising out of the void!

Favorites: "Heaven Shall Burn", "Beyond the Pale", "Death by a Thousand Cuts", "The Call of the Void", "Continuum", "The Black"