Decline of the I – Inhibitions
Artistic dark visions holding hands with doomy electronic French black metal. “Inhibitions” by Decline of the I is a dissonant affair that drones and bleeds into your consciousness with a thick tone and a subtle arsenal of electronic manipulation that sits comfortably within the bleak, at times Celtic Frost inspired riffs and framework of this album. Created by A.K. who is in many other projects, most notably Vorkreist and Merrimack, “Inhibitions” finds his own being thrown to the wind as he takes the listener into the dank recesses of his creativity. Minimalism is the vehicle for these twisting guitar lines and burnt out throaty screams to possess and hypnotize as the subtle eddies of rhythmic blackness replace thoughts with an empty/glazed over feeling. Each layer seems simplistic yet potent, allowing the pointed nature of the riffs to crawl over the soundwaves, along with interesting moments of synth/sequenced electronic music to meld with the metal side as on “Art or Cancer”. A.K. never goes too far into the electronic world, rather using a feverish mix of both styles to empower the hypnotic pull that makes “Inhibitions” such a peculiar beast. Decline of the I is one of those black metal fueled entities that feed on the depression in themselves and have given it an interesting voice. I can’t say “Inhibitions” will be a dominant force in my weekly playlists, but it did take me on an interesting journey where I got more out of it every time I spun it. This releases is geared towards those of you looking for a heady escape and want to take the time to stew in your own misery. -Marty
Agonia Records
Worm Gear 