INNER MISSING is a two person Gothic doom band from Russia. They formed in 2008 and have been prolific; "Deluge"  is their eighth studio album.  In addition, they have also released two EPs. As can be expected, the album is quite somber in most places with the music being a mix of clean instrumentation and heavier riffs. Unfortunately, the band's sound is so smooth that sometimes it doesn't remain very interesting and lacks much needed power. Although there are heavy moments, they are few and far between when compared to the other side of the band. There isn't anything wrong with that but the cleaner parts are forgettable and the heavier ones seem more like an afterthought at times.

There just isn't much energy on display, as if the band can't see the forest for all the trees. The band focused so much on this Gothic Doom/rock album that they forgot to make it memorable. Sigmund's vocals are deep and clean. While his performance does fit into band's style, he lacks the power and charisma of other genre stalwarts. The bass is consistently well rounded and was the instrument my ears always went back to the most.  I'm not sure who handles the drums on the album but he or she does a solid job even if it isn't very flashy.

The opening song, "In The Haze," is trapped within that haze. The first two and a half minutes seem to be building towards something but it is climbing a small hill more than a mountain so the pay off at the top is weaker than I expected. The riffs are decent but just nothing that really grabs me. The instrumental track, "Locusts" is actually the best track on the album. It feel it nails down the band's lighter and dark elements. The cleaner parts feel more conductive to the song and the heavier notes find true purpose. It is just a focused song that does what it needs to then gets out.  In addition, it also has a fire burning within it that is much more infectious than the other tracks—and it is quite a bit more intense.

Some of the songs go on much longer than needed and just couldn't keep me invested. "A Trice of Verve," is a good example of this because it just plods along without a sense of purpose. Even some of the shorter songs can present problems. "Elegy," is a ballad that is nearly unlistenable. The atmosphere is right, the tone is the definition of Gothic, but the execution is poor. The keys are plain and the vocals just seem to drone on far longer than the song's 4:41  length. I can only imagine the entire venue falling asleep if this was played live because it feels like a lullaby more than a ballad.

Ultimately, "Deluge" is very much the definition of an average album and not one I see myself returning to much, if at all.