In Mourning – “Black Storm” [Song Review]

In advance of their forthcoming fifth studio recording, Garden of Storms, out October 4th via Agonia Records, Sweden’s In Mourning have just released a new track and video to whet fans’ appetites.

Titled “Black Storm,” the single has all of the hallmarks you’d expect from a melodic death metal track, plus the characteristic In Mourning flourishes built over their nearly two-decade career. A tri-guitar assault builds a rich, ominous melody, whilst the addition of more groove than some of their peers in the genre lends a momentum to pounding verses which drive the song forwards – check out the pull-off heavy riff around then one-minute mark for guitar work of which groove elites Lamb of God would be proud.

Quieter moments add atmosphere and build on the accompanying music video’s interplay between civilisation and the band, who can be seen playing in an immaculate house juxtaposed with footage of a girl lost in a forest. Again, this has been one of In Mourning’s strengths; offering neck-straining headbanging sections with calmer passages that make the hair on your arms stand on end.

To get a near eight-minute cut prior to the album’s release is a real treat, and more so when it’s of the quality present in “Black Storm.” With the forthcoming Garden of Storms being the conclusion of an album trilogy (it bookends 2012’s The Weight of Oceans and 2016’s Afterglow), “Black Storm” is an excellent debut single for fiending fans to play on repeat. Note October 4th in your calendar as a landmark date for melodeath. (Garden of Storms can be pre-ordered here, including some awesome vinyl variants.)

Run Time: 7:43
Release Date: August 22, 2019
Record Label: Agonia Records

Will you be able to navigate through the “Black Storm?”