In Mourning – Bleeding Veil

In Mourning is a Swedish Melodic Death Metal band cut in the same vein (and nearly the same time period) as their kinsmen in bands such as In Flames, Opeth and Dark Tranquility despite having come from a more Gothic Metal background.

Assembled in the year 2000, the quintet eventually developed a far more progressive Death Metal sound, finally taking on a significantly more Melodic approach, harking back to the sound and era when such music from Sweden was called ‘Gothenburg Metal’.

Since their inception the band has released five Full-length albums, with Bleeding Veil marking their sixth such adventure.

Now, I sadly must admit that I had no prior knowledge of In Mourning before Bleeding Veil hit my mailbox so I will be judging the band as a whole based solely upon this premise (but then again, I suppose that is the overall point – How well does this particular 7-trader hold up as a record is the most prominent question in regards to a new release after all).

At forty-five minutes, the quintet manages to rather quickly and effortlessly build up a very energetic atmosphere consisting of all the elements I have come to expect from prime era Swedish Melodic Death Metal: A mixture of growls and clean vocals used in tangent to compliment one another, attached to an intricate musical soundscape dominated by guitar riffs pounding drums and, much to my personal pleasure, the occasional ballad-adjacent piece (in this case made manifest through the track ”Blood In The Furrows”).

Now, according to a statement from the band itself, Bleeding Veil not only represents the first cooperation with a new record label (Dalapop in this case), but also a shift of sound, deliberately drawing inspiration not only from their own back catalogue, but also from those of other Melodic Death Metal bands. And while I will once again admit to having no prior experience with any previous releases the band has produced, the effect of their newest release cannot be denied – The music is decently enough paced, it is energetic and it effectively serves as a catalyst for the themes of internal development and growth that the band seems to focus heavily on.

As a result I can confidently say that In Mourning has, for the first time in a very long time, drawn my attention back to their genre of choice, one that I have long since been neglecting I recently realize.

On the more technical side of things, the band and production company did a great job in cleaning and mixing the record – The music is crisp and crystal clear as well as well performed. If this truly marks a new beginning for the band, they certainly managed to make a very good first impression on this aging reviewer.

As per usual for me to do, I will link to the track ”Thornwalker” below. I find it to both be very apt and representative for the record as a whole – And, as a bonus, the band was kind enough to release an actual music video for it. A dying artform that I will fight tooth and nail to help keep alive for as long as I possibly can.

https://www.facebook.com/inmourningband