IN MOURNING was formed in the Swedish woods in the year 2000. Since then the band has evolved over the years striving to refine its sound to what it is today. April 2012 marked the release of the bands third album "The Weight of Oceans," a mythology inspired conceptual story that journeys to the sea...musically blending a broad spectrum of influences into a foundation of melodic death metal. "Afterglow" was released in 2016, and now "The Garden of Storms" will be released on October 4, 2019. The album contains seven new tracks.

"Black Storm" leads off the album. Clean guitars quickly lead to a crushing pattern of distorted outbursts. The melody is great-I hear a bit of old OPETH in the chord structure as well. The pause of clean vocals in the chorus is a stark contrast from the verses. This song has it all, including a climatic and Doomy ending. "Yields of Sand" opens with pensive vocals and clean and alluring melodies, yielding to some darker tones as the song moves on. The harsh vocals lash out in anger, and there are some Progressive elements with the cadence as well. "Hierophant" features some clean vocals and melodies with this outerworld sound that is hard to describe. The guitar accents are sharp and fierce and the harsh vocals are moment of pure brutality, especially the harmonized ones.

"Magenta Ritual" opens with depressing clean guitar tones with a moment of hope. Harsh vocals usher in the chorus, which beams with melody. The overall mood here is quite hopeless and despondent...a beautiful ode to darkness. "Huntress Moon" goes for your throat of the gates, with a full and aggressive sound, heavy and laboring. The harsh vocals are punishing...deep and reflective. It might be the heaviest song on the album. "Tribunal of Suns" has more of those heavy accents and an odd time meter. The vocals are harsh and cold, and the overall sound is sterile and intense. The ambient passage with clean vocals is both pretty and depressing at the same time.

"The Lost Outpost" closes the album; a near ten-minute beast. Slow, doleful tones open the song, with deep and dark vocals. It continues to pummel you until close to the end, when clean vocals and atmosphere pepper the landscape. Overall, what impressed me most was the diversity of sound on the album. Some of the moments are heavy, choppy and brutal, but they know how to dial it back and let some other moments breathe with melody. This effort also seems more succinct than their previous albums, and they concentrated more on some Proggy elements. As I mentioned before, it reminds me of old OPETH a bit, especially with choppy heavy accents in some of the riffs. If you are a fan of this band, you will enjoy the updated sound. If you are not, it's time to jump on board.