Premiere: Inanimate Existence – “In Moonlight I Am Reborn”
Sick of hearing the same old tired tech death tropes? Then check out this new jam from Inanimate Existence!
It’s been less than a year since Calling from a Dream, the band’s polarizing third album, hit the proverbial shelves, and they’ve already got a new one on the way. Following up Calling so quickly makes sense, though; it seemed like everyone either loved it or hated it with very little in between. I thought it felt like too great a leap into unexplored territory, both for fans and for the band themselves. They definitely had some good ideas and a few solid riffs, but those ideas didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and some fans were put off by the changes. It did, however, make me curious as to where they’d go on their next album: would they continue down their newfound atmospheric tech death path, or would they go back to their base sound?
Turns out the answer is a brilliant mix of both. “In Moonlight I Am Reborn” is the unification of the old and new, bearing the strong, full riffs of the band’s earlier efforts with the ethereal synths of their most recent. The beginning of the song illustrates this perfectly: you’re immediately greeted with a big meaty triplet riff backed with a subtle layer of synth and effects-laden clean guitar. The haunting atmosphere has the subtlety of their older work, but with the multilayered complexity of Calling. The two halves of their sound work together now better than ever before, and the resulting effect is something akin to meditating under a waterfall: relentlessly pummeling, but surprisingly contemplative.
It also sounds fantastic. The bass and rhythm guitars are thick but clear, and the leads are pleasantly warm. Respective guitarist and bassist Cameron Porras and Scott Bradley play off each other both instrumentally and vocally, their dual attack adding that much more texture and flavor to the sound. Drummer Ron Casey has a knack for feeling; whether playing a simple groove or going all-in on complex beats, he’s never playing too much or too little.
I’ve said before that Inanimate Existence is one of my favorite bands, and “In Moonlight I Am Reborn” reminds me exactly of why. They’ve always had their own unique flavor of tech death, and I believe Underneath a Melting Sky marks a new zenith for their sound. You can preorder the album ahead of its August 25th release through The Artisan Era’s Bandcamp page or website, and make sure to check out Inanimate Existence and The Artisan Era on Facebook. You can also catch the band on tour this fall; dates are coming soon.
