Review by chrisc7249 on July 17, 2022.

Inanimate Existence has always been a hit or miss band for me. Their debut was good, although I thought all of the instrumentals placed at the end of the album was an odd choice that didn't pan out well. Their follow up had some good parts but also some other weird choices the band made. I didn't like "Calling from a Dream" at all, it wasn't very memorable or good and the female vocals were very cringey. However, their fourth album, "Underneath a Melting Sky" was and still is, now counting their newest release, "Clockwork," the band's most consistent and best record to date. No stupid cleans, no attempts at being something they're not, just good, ethereal, catchy technical death metal with a progressive edge.

And ethereal this album really is. The clean guitar overdubs are a very mystical and atmospheric touch to the album that does wonders for their sound. I wouldn't say it's completely unlike any other band, but it definitely gives it that Inanimate Existence sound that you just know when you hear it. It gives the music a nice atmosphere, not in the sense of like Fallujah, which is more airy and spacey whereas this seems almost magical, which fits the story of the album and the album cover pretty nicely. It's always nice when an album sounds like its cover, no?

The riffs are alright, they're pretty chuggy at times and not the most technical riffs on the planet, but they'll do. The album's tech/prog edge really comes in with the lead guitar work more than anything else, with blistering solos from the guitars and occasionally the bass. The drumming is fairly standard as well and won't really blow you away if you've heard a fair amount of technical death metal before. The vocals are one dimensional, although they have some catchy moments here and there. I wish more attention was given to the riffs which has always been a problem of mine with the band, but they're good enough and get the job done on this album.

The sound of the album is really good. It's really full and carries a lot of weight with a good bass sound, tight drumming and the guitars, especially the lead ones playing the melodies, have an awesome sound to them. It's definitely well produced as most of the albums in this genre are and I can't really say much more on it.

There's not much more to say on this album. They're a pretty well known band in the scene but I wouldn't chalk them up as one of the must listens, honestly. Their music is pretty good, but not stellar and none of their albums are worthy of legendary status. What they do make is serviceable, meaty tech death with a nice flavor to it that definitely gives them their own distinct sound, even if it isn't worthy of something like a 9 or a 10. I still respect the band, and who knows, maybe their best is still yet to come. Despite the number of albums released, they're still pretty young and could always release a monster album in the future. For now, they're still headbang worthy technical death metal.

FFO: Obscura, Decrepit Birth, Arkaik

Favorite song: 'Underneath A Melting Sky'

Rating: 7 out of 10