For the last fifteen years, In Mourning have been a constant, reliable force in the melodic death metal scene: records like the imposing ‘Monolith,’ fan-favourite ‘The Weight Of Oceans’ and the massively underrated ‘The Bleeding Veil’ have gone a long way to put some respect on their name, even if the band have never really been grabbing headlines. Ominous soundscapes don’t exactly translate to radio play, which might explain why new record ‘The Immortal’ strips back so much of the mystery and complexity of its predecessors— though the approach bears its fair share of fruit, we can’t help but long for the more evocative songwriting of albums past.

In contrast to the winding song structures we’ve come to expect from In Mourning, their newest release is far more direct— it’s hefty guitar riffs and virtuosic solos that take centre stage this time around, pushing the more atmospheric aspects of the band’s sound to the side. Of course, the group’s roots are far from discarded on ‘The Immortal,’ as eight-minute epic ‘The Hounding’ (and the group’s continued focus on abstract lyrical content) will attest to. Still, there’s an unusual immediacy to the writing this time around that may well make In Mourning’s seventh studio album their most accessible to date. Even from a production standpoint, there’s clearly been an effort to consolidate a sound that used to fill the stereo space— the guitars are way out front from the opening riffs of ‘Silver Crescent,’ and remain the central sonic focus of ‘The Immortal’ across its runtime.

As you might imagine, many of the album’s best moments come when the band seem locked into this new direction. The riffs of lead single ‘The Sojourner’ are absolutely explosive, crashing in to furiously interrupt the delicate mood of the preceding ‘As Long as the Twilight Stays’— there’s a lot to said in favour of the bulldozing presentation of cuts like ‘Staghorn’ and ‘Song of the Cranes,’ as their relentless percussive showcases and dominating bridge sections make for serious highlights. Admittedly, not every guitar riff hits the spot in quite the same way, especially when the band seem content to settle into some more generic chugging in places: even still, let it be known that ‘The Immortal’ seeks to grab you by the balls like no previous In Mourning record, and often succeeds in spades. Even more arresting than that, though, are the various ripping solos and momentous lead lines that steal the show— Tim Nedergård has been let off the chain completely in 2025, bringing some furious guitar chops on the likes of ‘Song of the Cranes’ and ‘North Star.’

Oddly enough, it’s in the band’s usual wheelhouse that they’re having to put out fires this time around. In Mourning have always been excellent melody crafters, lending a record like ‘The Bleeding Veil’ a rich melancholic atmosphere that kept you returning again and again: ‘The Immortal,’ by contrast, is much more straightforward in its motivations. The band are far from abandoning their usual style here, though they seem far less enthused by it than we’ve come to expect— too often, it feels like we’re just going through the motions on the various choruses and melodic passages of the new album. The two singles the band released earlier this year were both far more notable for their infectious guitar grooves than for their soaring hooks, which continue to feel overly formulaic as part of the wider LP: at times, Tobias Netzell sounds half asleep!

Even if grandiose crescendos were always a staple of the In Mourning sound, we might not have lamented their absence this time around: the group attempt to go big on ‘The Immortal,’ though they end up going home instead. Try as they might, cut likes ‘As Long as the Twilight Stays’ and ‘The Hounding’ fail to reach the impressive heights of albums past as the group insist on cramming more chugging guitar riffs and forgettable melodies into the project. Worse still is promising ballad ‘Moonless Sky,’ which has all the makings of a moving atmospheric piece… until the track suddenly cuts itself off right as it was beginning to build some momentum. Several times across the LP, it feels like In Mourning were striving to create something immediate and heavy, but felt compelled to satisfy fans of their previous work: these ideologies are in direct conflict on ‘The Immortal,’ neutering the album’s attempts to craft itself a bold new identity.

In Mourning have always been a fairly safe pair of hands in the melodic death metal scene, and their seventh record doesn’t quite undo that— there’s a lot to enjoy here, especially when the band commit themselves to creating something thunderous, something impactful. Even still, ’The Immortal’ may be a solid metal release, but it’s a disappointing In Mourning project: too often, the group remind us of albums past, yet fail to recapture that melodic magic. We can only hope that this record winds up as a stepping stone, leading us toward the full-throated metal powerhouse that ‘The Immortal’ was meant to be: as it stands, the band’s latest offering is enjoyable, but feels caught in the fangs of indecision.