With just a day before release Asa takes a good look at In Which It Burns new Album!

In Which it Burns was formed in 2016 by Steve (Lead Guitar) and Dan (Drums). They rounded out the line-up with Robert on Bass and Dan’s brother Wayne, who took on Rhythm Guitar and Vocal duties. Since then, the band have released 3 E.P’s (Hatred In Disguise in 2016, Beneath The Darkness Of Sky in 2017 and I W I B in 2018) and have been making a solid name for themselves with a plethora of live shows (including getting to the Bloodstock Metal To The Masses South Wales Finals in 2019). In 2019 and 2020, the band parted ways with Dan and Robert introducing their new low end pairing of Vinny and Ian. Silence The Nothing is the product of years of hard work, but does it pay off? And, perhaps more importantly, does it Thrash?

The album begins with Lost In The Lie (69 Cowbells). The song name may be a little silly (I certainly chuckled but then again, I do have the mentality of a 14-year-old), the music is anything but. Starting out with a dark, clean intro that is reminiscent of Burn My Eyes era Machine Head (the best Machine Head album) and marching snare rolls that build up before living up to the song name with some beautiful cowbell that gives way to a heavy chuggy riff, accompanied by some excellent use of natural harmonics (in case you didn’t think this wasn’t Machine Head-y enough). The song plows ahead with a Thrash infused chorus and a short, but brilliant, guitar solo and ending with a neck wrecking outro. From Behind Blind Eyes kicks off with a flash of brilliance, starting with a spectacular drum fill and forcing the listener to give themselves whiplash with a bouncy groove riff to rival the best of them. The verse showcases some impressive bass work and the chorus brings back the chorus riff but with a double time shift on the drums midway through. The breakdown is devastating with some impressive high screams from Wayne. The catchy groove chorus returns before chords and decent stickwork ends the song.

The Silence In My Head has a dark, clean intro with some great layering and another great snare roll. Chaos ensues as we reach the first full-on Thrash riff of the album, leading into a 3/4 verse riff that showcases some great dynamics in songwriting from the band. The chorus is a particular highlight for me as it is incredibly reminiscent of Descending by Lamb Of God (my personal favourite LoG song) but done with the IWIB flair. It’s a great contrast to what came before, both on this song and the album in general. The midway point is marked with a simple but effective chugging riff before going back into the interesting verse and excellent chorus. There’s more cowbell to make way for one final Thrash assault. Destruction Of Faith starts with a mood setting soundbite before explosive Thrash injected Hardcore riffing takes over. A tremolo picked chorus is met with some beautifully executed blast beats, with a crushing and energetic middle section and tastefully done solo bursting your ears. The song is topped off with those high screams I love so much during the last chorus.

Another mood setting intro leads way to a heavy Hatebreedsounding riff on Just Know This, accompanied by a short and snappy solo. A crushing verse and a chorus with some more excellent bass work are followed by a highlight section on the album. The riff starting at 2:07 has a real technical edge to it, with the bass locking in towards the end that really stands out. It’s incredible to listen to. Words Which Cut The Neatest Scars has a nice intro that builds into ferocious Thrash riffing and a monstrous groove-ladened verse. There’s an interesting tempo shift that happens where the band play a Death Metal-esque riff throughout. Another crushing breakdown really showcases the strong knack for compositional contrast the band clearly possess. The song charges forth with more Thrash, groove and Death Metal assaulting your sense before the outro breakdown renders whatever remains asunder.

The Creed has this unsettling, disturbing soundbite at the beginning. But the song then decides to kick you in the face with a brutal Thrashing verse and more tremolo picked riffage, blast beats and all. The extreme high shrieks are back during the chorus to ear splitting effect, with some more impressive fretwork during the solo and some great shifts in tempo. Some disgusting bass sets up the Earth-shattering outro. This song was originally on the I W I B E.P but the band have made some tweaks, with an increased tempo, stronger drum work and Wayne giving a better vocal performance (plus the addition of the disturbing intro). I like the changes; it shows us how much the band have improved and honed their craft. A female shriek leads to a heavy verse (touched up with some more tasteful natural harmonics) on Hands Which Cup the Blood Of Innocence. Whiplash inducing groove creates a memorable chorus and there’s a nice acoustic moment midway through that is melodic but has minor notes thrown in for tension and dissonance. The chorus returns and there’s another great solo over brutal chugs, before the listener is defeated by the heaviness of the outro.The final song on the album, Victim Of My Rage, has this beautiful, sorrow filled acoustic intro that has a gorgeous acoustic solo played over the top. Guitars kick in with some excellent atmospheric layers and a lead pattern that, again, reminds me of Lamb Of God (but this time the song is Walk With Me In Hell, another personal Log favourite), followed by a Thrash assault that will leave you in a whirlwind and a verse riff that has that Hatebreed stomp to it. The double kicks over the Thrash riff are another highlight, showcasing some impressive footwork from Vinny. More savage solo work from Steve, with more tempo changes to keep things interesting. A neck snapping riff after the solo leaves your body traumatized, with the Thrash riff returning to continue punishing the listener. The song ends with the acoustic intro, but this time played on electric guitar on a clean setting. This time however, it sounds more eerie, contrasting from the sorrowful nature of the acoustic intro.

With everything said and done, this is a fantastic full length from In Which it Burns. There are a lot of moments that remind me of other bands, but they take those and make them their own. The different influences all work together incredibly well and make for an interesting, aggressive, and often punishing listen. The performances on this album from all members are solid. There’s a ridiculous amount of incredible riffs, plenty of flashy solos, some brilliant bass work that really sticks out and the percussion is executed brilliantly, with lots of changes and variety to maintain the backbone of the untamed fury this album possesses. The production is raw but adds to the visceral nature of this beast, though everything can be heard with ease. There’s a good balance in the mix to where nothing is above everything else, instead allowing room for everything to breath and to work together as a cohesive unit. The song writing is heavy and extreme, but there’s also a lot of catchy moments that will be imbedded in your brain for days, if not weeks and months to come. There’s so much variety that you will find something to please you throughout, and it all flows together nicely. The occasional jarring shifts are a positive in this case as it adds another uncertain layer to the whole experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. My only complaint is that I wish there were more high screams throughout as they are excellently executed and feel unique, though the rest of the vocals is some good (though fairly standard) harsh vocal fare that does what needs to be done. It doesn’t detract from the overall experience; I just wanted some more of those mental highs to fawn over. Overall, I recommend everyone give this a listen as you’ll find something to enjoy. And even Thrash fans have lots to gleefully chew on as there are plenty of Thrash riffs thrown in throughout! An excellent first album from a band with a promising career ahead. I for one, am extremely interested to see what brutal madness they carve out next.

Silence The Nothing is Out Tomorrow (Friday the 20th November)