Hands up, everybody who love British doomy gloom metal! Here's one hand in the air too. Usually I don't like to start a review with naming the influential force behing the band I'm writing the review about, but this time there is no other way around it... And I think it is perfectly fair to say it, too: Inborn Suffering know their My Dying Bride.

These Frenchmen sound so British, it's almost unbelievable. This is not total My Dying Bride worship, but generally Inborn Suffering have done some thoroughly treasure hunting in the British scene. 'Wordless Hope' includes over 65 minutes of gloomy dark metal, where both heavy and ethereal soundscapes collide (guitars and drums on the heavy side, synthesizers on the other, vocals in both). Over 11-minute opener 'This Is Who We Are' is a monument of awesome gloom metal, where the band's different sides are presented, thanks to speed changes from slow to agile tempos. Inborn Suffering's members have different musical backgrounds, so slight black metal and folk metal elements can be heard, too, but the former only in very small doses. 'As I Close My Eyes' in the middle of the album is a good change with its catchiness and uhhh... briefness. Sameness of the music is a small minus, surely. Vocals are truly diverse, from deep growl to spoken parts (even some Anathema's Darren White style weeping). Plus there's some okay female vocals too. But you knew it already, huh?! Generally, everything is performed with skill.

Inborn Suffering's debut album is a good piece of gloomy metal, as they've gathered fine elements and also managed to create something worth listening to. But that is exactly its problem, too! No matter how fine are the elements, it is all just a bit too much of a duplication and not enough of own. It's easy to like 'Wordless Hope', but it's also easy to become distressed about all the familiarity that it exhales. And over 65 minutes of it... But if this kind of music is very close to your heart, I can only encourage you to check Inborn Suffering out.

Rating: 6+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/13/2007 20:37