INANNA is a death metal band from Chile who formed in 2000.  "Void Of Unending Depths," is their third full length album.  Since their formation, they have also released two demos, two live albums and a compilation. This album is incredible for so many reasons that I'm not sure if I even have the room to fully describe it.  First, the atmosphere is everything I could ever want for music of this type.  INANNA'S brand of death metal is underground and violent but that only tells part of their overall musical story.  Their music is also melodic, somber, adventurous, and incorporates so many different styles but yet remains consistent across the seven track, one hour run time.

Music like this, with this much layers needs an environment to grow in.  Everything from the production, to the mixing, to the tone of the instruments is just goddamn perfect. In essence, it sounds like hell but it is a hell that you'll never want to leave because every little nuance, every nook and cranny, is offered to the listener wholesale to entice you even while it reaps your body. I would say this album is almost progressive as well-because each song offers twists and turns that keep the listener guessing.  Fortunately, the song writing is so focused that I was never once distracted or felt it went too far.

The first track, "Evolutionary Inversion," sets upon me immediately with its dense riffs and dismal melodies.  As it all moves forwards, the lead guitar weaves in and out as a barrage of drums becomes the current in which the song rests.  The bass is just massive-encompassing, weighty, and ever present.  The vocals complete the package, acting as the speaker and vessel for this dark art music.  The subtleties in the lead guitar, especially near the end bring out every element of the song, right down to the last few seconds where the melodies hammer out riffs.

"Among Subaqueous Spectres," is beyond relentless within just the first forty seconds.  And it keeps going. And going.  Just when my head is about to explode, a groove comes out of left field (yet still fits into the frame work of the song) and pummels for days.  Then it comes back later but is followed by an insane dissonant section with frightening vocals and equally frightening drumming.  But wait, there's more!  A wonderful guitar solo, backed by a wall of bass, cuts through it all and leads the song back into a strong finish with a massive crescendo.

"Far Away In Other Spheres," and its beefy bass is enough to make my head dizzy.  This is one of those albums that can be enjoyed with headphones or a massive system, something that is hard to balance out.  The first three and a half minutes or so is chaotic death metal but the mid section is this odd sort of jazzy type section but they pull it off.  The movement afterwards is slow and just as heavy but those vocals...jesus, they are so good.  The last minute and a half or so feels swampy and filthy to me-just the way death metal needs to be.

"Underdimensional," is over ten minutes in length but it never feels that long because it just engrosses you.  The song's opening moments is another jazz type section-the bass is sweet ass.  Did I just describe bass as "sweet ass" in a death metal review?  Yes.  Yes, I did.  The riffs that come after are tight, fast, and razor sharp. But they are also well made for change, as the guitars push the song in another direction that leads to a quiet/ambient section.  I would say this part is even trippy.   You think that won't work in a band like this?  Think again.  The band IS like this. The rest of the song is one part death metal and another part alien psychedelic but it feel so right at home with the rest of the album.

"The Key To Alpha Centauri," has a flow that make it feel alive-this track breathes and lives through a twisted world of sulfur in some dark dimension. This is one of the more consistently intense song on the albums but it still has such a methodical approach.  There is all the time in the world to destroy it-and the band uses every available second to fill up any untouched space. The way the riffs just sort of hammer out in this steady, hypnotic rhythm is very unsettling yet I can't stop listening to it.

"Mind Surgery," doesn't let it up for a second in the beginning moments-the drums shake the song, and my body, to the very core but the later half is pure nasty-the guitar tone is sick as fuck.  That slow groove is just as unapproachable but there is some respite of sorts in the guitar solo which is half blistering and half melodic.  But it is part of the master plan, keeping the song together even through all its different branches.

And then we get to the album's hidden weapon and one of the best death metal epics I've heard this year: "Cabo de Hornos."  What a song!  If I had the time, I'd write a whole review just on this song alone.  Every second of its nearly fourteen minutes is a pleasure.  The opening is ambient and oddly sooth yet unfamiliar in a survival instinct sort of way.  The lead guitar breaks the song out, another melodic yet heavy showcase that smoothly transitions into the song. The guitars create atmospheric blankets that light up the sky with these moments that grab attention but still let the rest of the song rip through the air.  This is where the post elements come in but unlike a lot of bands who try this path, the song never gets self indulgent or goes off the beaten path: it stays well within its world but the world is huge so there is no need to be derivative.

INANNA's "Void Of Unending Depths," is a masterpiece of an album.  It makes me proud to be an extreme metal fan and music like this proves that death metal will never die.  An album that every metal head needs to give a chance.