Scene Steelers: Inherent Doom
Sounds of the Eastern abyss bloomed from Persia, born anew in the West.
As a writer for a silly little metal blog, the one aspect I enjoy most is bringing to some eyes music that I personally find interesting in some form. With my limited reach, I simply hope to help smaller bands or lesser-known acts gain a bit of recognition and interest in their work. So, when I initially approached the local band Inherent Doom following their opening set for Worm recently, I was left intrigued, yet slightly nervous. I’ve never interviewed a band before, but with so much ugliness in the world, I decided to bring some darkness light instead by featuring an incredibly interesting up and coming black metal unit that craft music as interesting as their story.
“Legacy and heritage never die,” stated founding member, primary song writer, and guitarist Herethick in a passionate explanation of his and his origin country’s history. You see, when I approached the band after their impressive set, I was completely unfamiliar with them previously, but what I learned was instantly gripping. Herethick was born in Iran, but being a non-Muslim in an Islamic extremist society tends to possess some problems. Eventually, he left Iran for Istanbul and crafted the beginnings of Inherent Doom with two singles in 2023 followed by an ep and another single the following year. However, despite the nation of Türkiye not having religious extremism to the levels within Iran, Herethick and his fellow bandmates still received ample harassment with constant death threats from Muslims for their anti-Islamic views and art.
This led to Herethick coming to the United States, successfully finding the stability needed to further his vision for Inherent Doom. This allowed for the recording of their debut album Sermon of Ruin, a journey through Herethick’s experiences growing up under the Iranian regime and how the reign of Islam has continuously tried to rip apart the nation. The band utilizes Persian music as a foundation with the Dastgāh system, echoing over 1,000 years of regional musical merged with Western influences from black metal acts such as Gorgoroth, Bathory, and Mayhem. However, Inherent Doom also possess an undeniable doom influence at times, as well as slight atmospheric aspects sprinkled in. An incredibly impressive album, especially for a debut that was partially written overseas with fellow Iranian guitarist Iman and finished with new members from Arizona.
Equally as interesting was the history lesson I was given regarding the last 1,400 years in Persia. Ubiquitous corruption and violence that has transformed an entire region and its 90 million inhabitants into an oppressed population under a brutal authoritarian regime. “Religion corrupts societies,” Herethick states as he discusses his influences from second-wave black metal acts and how these seminal groups exposed how Christianity invaded and replaced native Scandinavian culture and heritage with a domination campaign of might over right. Through his art and perseverance, Herethick simply tells that this is the idealism he wants to see in the world; one not divided by atrocities under the guise of religion.
“Christian fascism is here and there is work to do,” states vocalist Stolos in regard to the themes of their message and its relationship to the West. When watching a band perform live, especially if it is one’s introduction to them, it is incredibly likely that your focus lies primarily on the frontman. It is safe to declare that not only was I intrigued by the sound of Inherent Doom, but by their stage presence and veteran-like ability to captivate. Growing up and attending Catholic school, Stolos has his own history with religious institutions and how growing up under its heavy influence limits many aspects of the self. When commenting on his commanding stage presence and authentic execution of black metal aesthetics, he told me about being classically trained vocal soloist with jazz influences, but upon his discovery of black metal, he uncovered his chosen vessel for his musical talents.
It certainly is a tricky task to walk the line between gaudy and gimmick, but where many black metal groups reach for anti-religious iconography and themes as tropes, Inherent Doom come from a foundation of pure authenticity. Only to add to their message is the introspection of knowing their message will come off as “…harsh, brutal, and likely difficult to understand unless you are in the scene and ‘get’ that all religious structures are worthy of criticism.” To help bridge the divide between the themes within the music and those not in the black metal scene, the band recommended reading material to help contextualize everything with the Book of Kings ,which worked as a resource for preserving the Persian language through extremist Islamic attempts to eradicate it. You can enjoy their music, or not, but what you cannot say is they are inauthentic. For me, this authenticity just so happens to coincide with an incredibly talented and time-worthy group worthy of recognition.
For now, the band is wanting to create and foster relationships with others in the local scene as they work on new material. They are also hopeful in doing a short regional tour with Tucson black metal outfit Funeral Witchery, which I will definitely be attending. Lastly, a thank you to Herethick and Stolos for taking time out to talk with me for a while and for, as Stolos himself put it, “popping my cherry” for interviews.
For more, including merch and links to their socials, check out the website for Inherent Doom as well as their Bandcamp
