Review Summary: Indian build their songs to such twisted horrible realisations, you might as well spontaneously combust, you can't cry if the heat dries your eyes.
Indian are pure craft, take sludgy heavy down tuned guitars, punishing repetitive riff cycles, some of the most tortured and powerful dual and single vocals, and top it all off with a hint of noise and what do you have? Metal being pushed heavier, harder and more evil than it has been ever been before.
It's interesting to watch the progression of metal from its rock and jazz roots, from Black Sabbath to Judas Priest, Metallica to the 90s death era each time growing more and more oppressive and soul sucking with each iteration. If bands are really trying inject all their suffering and pain, all their soul into sound and attempting to transform it into a perfect sonic representation of misery, they must have know they were getting close, if they could have seen into the future, if they could only have known the post 2010's would deliver such dark music, maybe they would have went back, maybe they would have regretted starting this thing.
A band like Indian packs such sheer uncompromising energy behind their compositions because they build their songs to such visceral unbelievable finishes, in fact they do it so well, you don't even realise what's happening until its too late, the track 'Guiltless" being a perfect example of this technique in action, the track blasts in with plodding trudging riffs and tasteful rhythmic drumming, it builds, introduces some uneasy vocal and noise ambience as it progresses, then the screeching unique vocals force themselves in and the track continues on much the same slowly but surely raising the tempo and adding noise, like a walk that turns into a run for your life, in fact the best way i might describe the tracks ending would be akin a growing realisation, it builds and builds growing worse and worse as you fully realise, eyes wide open in fear you burst into flames, your voice carrying behind it as much agony and anger as the final desperate cry of the vocalist "burning" (the only word i can make out at the end of this track).
The use of dual vocals at certain times combined with a slight reverb effect and an awesome delivery (Dylan must have wind pipe lungs) really add a massive sound to the vox, Indian don't refrain from showing diversity either, with more melodic odes such as the "The Fate Before Fate" and "Supplicants", the former containing some particularly impressive lyrics and sound structure. A higher tempo track might help redeem this album for those who don't have the patience for doom with "The End Of Truth", and if you're still not finished off, the final song "Banality" will have you chanting it's catching chorus over your tears "we will, never turn, our backs on ourselves".
