And while drawing their classic inspirations from bands such as Winter, Paradise Lost, and Hooded Menace, “Pain Effulgence” proves that the sonic formula feels nastier and rawer. The opening track, “Impulse”, weaves these contrasting elements of dark melancholy with heavy doom riffing. The drums are paired with deep growling and a heavier guitar tone, which gives a quality that never falters.
The atmosphere is ominous throughout the album; there are tons of crushing riffs and rumbling double bass kicks that create a grim feeling on the next song, “Indignation”. Even though there are similar styles to bands like Mortiferum and Krypts, which have emerged, Innumerable Forms blends its elements perfectly and cements its sound. The slow grinding riffs impart a feeling of despair, and yet there’s something frigid about the cavernous growling that tends to creep between the slow, menacing atmospheres that drift along like a cold mist.
The third album is a crushing death doom statement from the band, leaving a heavy and raw impact through the mid-tempo chugging, which is often slow, along with the bleak, suffocating atmosphere. These elements, perfectly showcased on “Blotted Inside,” are enough to convince old-school fans of Finnish and British death doom metal. The effect of the crushing drums evokes darkness even when the tempos tend to sound fast and brutal; the riffs are arranged to create a dark aura.
The profound tonality of the guitar riffs saturates a mixture of melancholy, then slows things down on the epic track “Dissonant Drift”; there is absolutely a classic feeling to the tone of the crushing guitars and the guttural effect that seems to wander with the mid-tempo pace.
Innumerable Forms does not compromise its melodies when such sensation takes place; it further shows how intricate the songwriting is on the third album. The riffs almost sound like they are flowing from a hollow void with tremolos being injected; the guitars and the bass contribute to the chugging sound. The creepy leads are yet another aspect in which the band perfects its take. The drums are layered in the slow mid-tempo section while the cavernous growls convey a cold, crushing, and raw sensation; each element on the eight tracks holds these elements in a remarkably dense atmosphere.
While songs like “Ressentiment” are faster than the previous ones, the drums deliver some thundering beats and blast beats to unfold the experience. “Overwhelming Subjugation” begins with a slow, crawling riff; the melodic leads create a grand atmosphere where every echoic growl provides a primordial trademark of the early death and doom metal bands.
The songwriting and arrangement on the third album stand as one of the defining artifacts in modern death doom metal, drawing inspiration from My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, while delivering an introspective iteration that captures a unique atmosphere. Tracks like “Paun Effulgence” begin with a parading guitar melody that ebbs and flows beautifully; however, the fusion of layered guitars gives the song more heaviness, as the interplay of melody and rhythm contributes to the music and unifies this epic track to perfection.
The closing track, “Austerity and Attrition”, seemed to pull you into the depths of profound heaviness, with the tremolo-picked riffs and blast beats that crush to a powerful level; the dark leads are meticulously layered through the slow beating of the drums. The music transcends to the epic style of death doom on a convincing and professional level.
REVIEW SCORE
| 8.4 | A few bands today that have captured the sheer power and foreboding darkness, and I must admit that the third full-length album, “Pain Effulgence”, is essential to fans of death doom metal. This is a crushing atmospheric record that will surely not disappoint fans of Winter, Paradise Lost, and My Dying Bride. |








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