Released on: 4th February 2022
With all the trademarks of gothic indulgence– moribund grandiosity and meandering insanity, Inner Missing take their ninth album into more romantic territory. Hitting hard with new album Dead Language the duo firmly embraces their death metal roots. Blooming into a graft of retro synths and down tuned guitars.
It cannot be said that Dead Language is not a good album, structurally; rhythmically; melodically; even lyrically, it is all good. But, therein lies its biggest detraction. It never extricates the music out of its self-imposed uniformity. As such its wings never spread out and thus the melodies never fly. Even as they are pushed stoically along with the, quite comprehensive, lyrics.
Suffice to say its not a great album. It lacks in energy and distinction. But it does have its merits even if the melodies and lyrics are inoffensive. It is at least consistent in that every track offers up a heavy, doom laden and gothic malady. And, the synth work would work well in a dungeon.
Inner Missing might tick all the boxes pertaining to gothic metal but overall Dead Language lacks the humor and the irony that came to define genre heavies like Type O Negative, Moonspell and Paradise Lost; file under Filler.
7/10
