Inter Arma – New Heaven

No idea whether American-born Inter Arma has a large or regular fan base on the European continent. In America, this band, which has been around since 2006, must enjoy some popularity by now. A total of five full-length albums have already been released by the Americans. The New Heaven under review here is album number six and, with over forty minutes of playing time, certainly not less complex than its predecessors.

Now, I don’t have to tell connoisseurs of this band about complexity. Colleague Alfvoet already knew what time it was in 2013, when he reviewed Sky Burial here on Zware Metalen. Unnatural blends of metal violence eventually turned out to be just great sludge and black noise, along with some southern hints. Subsequent EP The Cavern was also classified as sludge by a former editor, but as sludge with all sorts of deviant, genre-altering influences. And thus, after some praise, Inter Arma became a band to keep an eye on. And therefore Paradise Gallows and Sulphur English were also reviewed respectively by colleagues Alfvoet and Wouter. I myself have been particularly fascinated by Sulphur English‘s extreme experimentation. I also saw the band live once, if I am not mistaken during Soulcrusher in Doornroosje (Nijmegen).

New Heaven is an album that lives up to the expectations set beforehand, though not quite as the promotional text would have us believe. Indeed, from the enclosed text, I read that there is a sharp turn in the form of extreme and angular songwriting. Of course, this is nothing new for this band. Each record allows new and unusual elements to surface. But then again, when Inter Arma releases a new album, what is still startling or unique in the literal sense of the word? I could name the beginning of Violet Seizures, where a huge amount of psychedelic influences come to the fore. All sorts of sounds and voices seem to have been added in the background, which, during the first few listens, made me suspect that something was going on outside. Of course, this is completely impossible, I soon realise, as I listen to New Heaven with virtually soundproof headphones.

The melancholic riffs, effects and extremely fast blasts are unavoidable when the sharp aggressive vocals temporarily become part of my state of mind. Inter Arma chooses to rage furiously during the first tracks, without denying the atmospheric nature. During Desolation’s Harp, the bullfrog vocal we also heard during the fierce opener and title track, returns. As an opener, New Heaven is immediately a super alienating song, initially only stimulating the left ear. This is followed by an intense chopping and slamming section, with some indefinable spacey loops passing by. The roaring bass guitar then adds the necessary heaviness.

Returning to Desolation’s Harp, the guitar work at the end of the song stands out in a positive and therefore noteworthy way. It’s harmonious, but the atmosphere also twists in the direction of something dark and melancholic. The song lends itself very well to a banging headbanging or mosh session when the unrelenting blasts open the fest with a roar. Endless Grey then tastefully breaks the album in two with virile guitar playing and a thumping rhythm section. Delicious!

Gardens in the Dark opens very mysteriously with otherworldly sounds resonating continuously. It’s time for that other identity we know of Inter Arma. A warm dark pure vocal joins in, half declamatory, half sung, but very penetratingly pointing you in the chosen direction. There is only one way out when you wander in the gardens of darkness, this we know. Then, at the end, the gentlemen manage to surprise you briefly with a fade-out, which also seems to unspool as a gritty fade-in. The Children the Bombs Overlooked leaves a thrashing ritualistic impression, with helicopter noises and manic drumming. Do not underestimate the vocals by any means, as they are pretty much one of a kind. In just over seven-and-a-half minutes, just about everything passes by that we know Inter Arma for. With the neurotic pounding being the most typical characteristic. I have a suspicion that not everyone will be able to appreciate this, but I as your editor on duty go pretty well with it. In particular, it is the intensity of what is on offer that makes the Americans stand out.

Moreover, technically it is of a rather exceptional level. I didn’t expect anything else, to be honest. The doom influences really come to the surface during Concrete Cliffs, with again a lot of space for beautiful, ethereal, mostly psychedelic chants, alongside the bully grunts. Unlike the early stages of the album, where the emphasis was mainly on impact and aggression, I now find myself in a landscape full of colours and melancholic atmospheres. The song manages to stand out by having the guitar leads pushed to the front in addition to the vocals. As the last notes die away, I brace myself for Forest Service Road Blues, a song that cracks the last soft note, as Inter Arma goes into the night with a piece of tear-jerking blues – including fiddle (!). The Nick Cave reference from the promo then suits this song best. Widely, the rest of the album brings the following bands for reference: Amenra, Neurosis, Full of Hell, Cult of Luna, Yob, Moonspell, Primitive Man, Thou, Ulcerate, Mastodon, The Body, Panopticon.

And yes, I have to admit that the spectrum is actually that broad, although I do wonder if Inter Arma will not itself be an influence for quite a few bands in the scene by now. Agreed, this band may be entering a niche of a niche, but I would still encourage or even tempt anyone to give New Heaven a listen. It’s a fascinating record, with so many distinct influences, that I can’t easily compare it to work by other bands. The grade I give here is not only an appreciation of the craftsmanship, but also an emotional score, taking firmly into account what New Heaven triggers in me. I rate Violet Seizures as my favourite track, because of its undercurrent of tension, extremely aggressive vocals and pounding drums.

Score:

90/100

Label:

Relapse Records, 2024

Tracklisting:

1. New Heaven
2. Violet Seizures
3. Desolation’s Harp
4. Endless Grey
5. Gardens in the Dark
6. The Children the Bombs Overlooked
7. Concrete Cliffs
8. Forest Service Road Blues

Line-up:

• T.J. Childers – Drums, Percussion, guitars, lap steel, piano, noise
• Steven “Dirt” Russell – Guitars
• Trey Dalton – Guitar, synthesizers, mellotron, vocals
• Mike Paparo – Vocals
• Joel Moore – Bass, synthesizers, tape loops, samples, and noise

Links:

• Inter Arma Facebook
• Relapse Records