Band: In Vain
Title: Mantra
Label: Indie Recordings
Distribution: Suburban
Release date: 15/01/2010
Review: CD

Let’s start with a disappointment: what do you guys want to achieve? Which style will be your raison d’être?
That’s it for now, about negativism. Now comes the best part.
In spite of a lack of cohesion, the individual songs on Mantra sometimes are really impressive. The album brings some collage of different (Metal) styles. The opener, for example, combines melodic and modern Black Metal with a progressive touch – think Arcturus or Borknagar - and this does return from time to time. The band also includes elements from Death Metal, Progressive, Post-Rock, Heavy / Power Metal and Doom into their pounding songs, sometimes emotional and melodic, or more symphonic, then again harsh and overpowering, or more experimental, etc. The speed too varies a lot, the melodies balance between groovy and rather catchy to somewhat brutal and ugly (without losing its core of beauty), and the compositions are written with attention for ‘not sounding like so many bands do’. And when it comes to the latter: they succeed. The sound is massive and professionally produced, and the approach is modern and, in a way, at the same time, somewhat ‘traditional’ and epic.
Unusual, yet remarkable!

81/100

Ivan Tibos.