Band: In Grief
Title: Deserted Soul
Label: Bombworks Records
Distribution: Bertus
Release date: September 2009
Review: CD

In Grief hail from the cold North of Norway, which could explain the freezing atmosphere they create. The quintet started a year and a half ago and signed to Bombworks at the end of last year. At that moment, they recorded the debut full length, Deserted Soul, which has duration of forty seven minutes, in vocalist David Sandvik’s home studio.
Deserted Soul stands for an obscure and mid-tempo mixture of oppressing (Doom) Death Metal and symphonic Black Metal. The slow riffs and pounding rhythm section interact well with bombastic keyboards, melodic synths and extreme grunts and screams, and the variation in speed and melody make it un-boring for most of the time. Besides, the band implements some thrashy and progressive elements, as well as traditional and epic ones, widening the musical vision of this mournful combo. The long average duration isn’t a real problem because of the variety, but one might not be attracted whole the time??? Especially the more catchy, mainstream parts are too superficial, yet the main part is (just) above average. However, nice debut, that soon after the band’s birth.

82/100

Ivan Tibos.