Indesinence – Vessels of Light and Decay
While most death/doom bands are either more death/less doom or more doom/less death, Indesinence have struck a balance between the two subgenres. Many moments surface on the album that will have you sitting in the dark surrounded by dead things on the floor, and just as many more will have you annoying your co-habitators with obnoxious volumes. After an appropriately wicked intro, ‘Paradigms’ opens the mausoleum, and you’re flooded with death/doom divinity. The DM chords, clear and with a pleasing mid-range pallor, usher in the monstrous doom riffs following them. But when the pace quickens and the palm-muting begins, you truly know your Metal sensibilities are in for a ride. The band skillfully hails the glorious earlier works of their UK godfathers, and these influences are all on display, but – albeit infrequently – some old Obituary divinations can be heard as well (ie, mid-tempo structures, memorable tom-work and tightly-locked guitar/double-bass battery) – especially on killer cut ‘Communion” – and for this reviewer, that’s a very good thing. Other notable moments, with references to the band’s more obvious influences, abound with no small amount of frequency. Epilogue of album-highlight ‘Vanished is the Haze’ disinters Paradise Lost’s reverb/delay heavy guitar and synth scapes with such class that the inclusions actually succeed in bringing you someplace new (and as a result, I will certainly be playing this song many, many times in the year’s waning nights). An Anathema-inspired trek reveals itself on ‘Fade Further Beyond’, culminating in a brief, Celtic Frost-ish homage in the latter half of the song. And if the agonizing pace and whispered vocals of My Dying Bride are your bag, know that ‘Unveiled’ awaits your glowering visage and solemn brow. But Indesinence’s six-years-in-the-making second album is far more than the sum of its parts; Vessels of Light and Decay elicits imagery, and all kinds of it. One minute you’re creeping through a torchlit tomb, seeking out a village Grendel with sword in hand, the next you are Karl Willetts sitting in for Messiah at a Candlemass rehearsal. And something about the hulking guitars on this album at times brings to mind a blacksmith hammering an axe to life, while at others evokes an executioner’s hacking of a traitor to death. Through all their aural conflagration, Indesinence keeps the mood eerie and stimulating, never letting the listener drift off too far before reeling him or her back in with head-nodding attacks of varying degrees. And for that reason alone, Vessels of Light and Decay warrants your attention.-Jim
Profound Lore Records
Worm Gear 
This is a great album. Really big Triptykon influence on this album as well. I can hear it a lot. Celtic too, as you stated. I have listened to this record about 8 times and I always really enjoy it. I don’t it has hit me to its full effect yet. It takes time. I love it.
Agreed! Quite a bit bubbling underneath. And I concur with your comment awhile back on the cover art of the album – that ‘choosing of the path’ theme always reverberates \m/
It’s the evocative, dreamy overlays/repeating lead melodies that do it for me. It’s what sets them apart from other bands doing this style, IMO.
[…] Indesinence – Vessels of Light and Decay As the resurgence of Doom/Death rolls on, Indesinence return to the scene after six years with an […]
This review is what prompted me to check this out and then purchase. Excellent review for an excellent band.
Glad you enjoyed the review! Definitely one of my 2012 faves. It helps they are intelligent & well-spoken musicians; see evidence of this in our interview w/ them here: https://wormgearzine.com/2013/01/01/indesinence-excavating-a-living-death-paradigm/
Thanks for reading and commenting! – Jim