Published: May 29, 2023

I have never been the type to review an album I never truly feel for, which is the reason my written reviews are sparse and far between.

But sometimes, just sometimes, an album comes along that just makes me break my silence; like the thornbird that impales itself and sings the most beautiful parting song. And I have never been one to shy away from writing my innermost thoughts when it comes to music, even though I prefer to keep those to myself, and the new NONE album promo arrives at the most difficult of times. Times of being literally torn into pieces, times when I wish I would embody the band name itself… NONE.

The album’s opening song ‘Never Came Home’ starts with a beautiful clean intro and slowly builds up to an ailing verse, chorus and an outro followed by a tranquil section only few can relate to, which seamlessly fades into the next song ‘Alone, Where I Can See’. Said song carries on where the first song left off, bringing to mind (excuse me for not being versed enough in DSBM) a band such as Lifelover. Those slower, yet despair-driver riffs over a trudging tempo just feel like a rusty razor cutting through subcutaneous skin and flesh, and occasionally tearing into the muscle. What I notice (or seem to notice) is that the songs flow into each other like the blood flowing from said self-inflicted wounds.

‘A Reason to Be’ is the first song that truly makes me want to bring out that aforementioned razorblade. The clean intro riff alone (again), flowing in seamlessly from the previous song and which ascends into a slow double bass beat, is just absolutely on point. The vocals on that specific song hit really hard, as they scream and wail into worthless existence. A quick silence – just long enough to take your breath – followed by a despair-driven blast beat, hits extremely hard; which is again revisited by a slower, double bass based beat. Then, the desolate, guitar driven melodies that follow wouldn’t be out of place on, say Katatonia‘s Brave Murder Day or, for the DSBM aficionados upon you, a Forgotten Tomb album. The vocals are worth writing home about… the wailing screams, to some, may be nothing special. But to this reviewer they are absolutely skin crawling and hair raising…remember that first time you heard Kim Karlsson‘s Hypothermia vocals? Imagine that, with a whole lot of emotion, despair and loneliness added to them.

To add to the despair is the (as good as) instrumental ‘My Gift’, which builds as much tension as it builds relief from the previous songs. It’s a welcome breath of air, albeit very painful and thick air. It feels like taking a breath in the void. This slowly seeps into the intro of ‘Locked, Empty Room’ which purveys what it promises: a feeling of closing a door and being inside a room that is vacant of life, simply… empty. The walls are pale and the silence is deafening. The sound samples against those ambient keyboard melodies accentuated with the guitar notes simply tug at the heartstrings like nothing else. Rarely have I encountered a song title that made me feel so desolate. That sample, far in the background, over the heavy breathing and heartbeat, saying “I love you” and (correct me if I’m wrong) “I miss you” just tears your soul apart.

All of this turmoil is followed by the (first single) and absolutely well-placed closer, ‘Rest’. I personally don’t know where to begin here. Hearing it as a single had a totally different effect on me. But, hearing it as a closer, after the aforementioned songs, hits so very differently. It definitely deserves its status as being the first single off the album, but trust me, it deserves its place as a closer even more. ‘Rest’ makes even more sense when it comes after that barrage of emotions that precede it. It feels like closure, and it couldn’t be placed anywhere else but as a finale. The guitar melody thats twists and turns throught the song sounds like a painful lullaby, only accentuated by the cumbersome vocals that sound as if you have just accepted your fate.

Hands down, this is an AMAZING (may we say) return of NONE after four years of absence. As the main melody slowly fades out, you can’t help but take a sigh that this barrage of emotions is finally over.

NONE‘s Inevitable is as beautiful and as amazing as it is painful, and once again they prove themselves as one of DSBM’s best kept secrets. I can’t thank Nicolas Skog of the amazing Hypnotic Dirge Records enough for signing those guys from the get-go and giving them a tangible voice in the forms of CD and vinyl (and hopefully more merch).

Inevitable releases 30th June 2023 via Hypnotic Dirge Records.

Review by: Tarek “Kabu” Shehata