Swedish violin-core five-piece IMMINENCE made a lasting impact on me already some 6 years ago with their unique blend of evocative violin melodies and metalcore riffs. The song in question, “Lighthouse,” from their album “Turn the Light On” (2019), has remained one of my favorites from them to this day. A few years ago, they further impressed me with their live performance at the Tuska Festival in Helsinki, and on their more recent studio endeavors – “Heaven in Hiding” (2021) and “The Black” (2024) – their signature sound has evolved into an even more nuanced affair. Now, it’s time to welcome a new chapter in their storied career as the band’s sixth studio album “Axis Mundi” is due out on October 2nd, 2026, via Sumerian Records. On this new album, IMMINENCE has refined their signature metalcore sound with a tad more pronounced orchestral grandeur and cinematic flavor. Self-produced by the band, these new bangers were brought to life in collaboration with sound engineer Henrik Udd, whose résumé boasts such bands as ARCHITECTS, BRING ME THE HORIZON, DAYSEEKER, and producer Drew Fulk, who has worked previously with TWENTY ONE PILOTS, KNOCKED LOOSE, and HEALTH. So, even at face value, the album seems to be the band’s most ambitious to date – and the first few spins further confirm this to be the case. Then again, I got a sneak peek at the single, “The Sword That Never Bends,” before receiving the full promo, so I was kinda expecting something spectacular. I mean, when I put the single on, the band’s knack for dropping diabolical metalcore grooves with insane breakdowns appeared to have remained intact, right from the get-go.
The album kicks off with a banger entitled “Twisting in the Wind,” a song that resonates subtly with the air of the so-called Twin-Peaks-core à la BAD OMENS. Not bad. The orchestral stuff elevates the song on a whole new level – vocalist Eddie Berg‘s haunting violin lines, in particular. The only blemish in the song is that there really should have been more of those! But you cannot open a metalcore album with a 9-minute epic, can you? Well, if they were anything like this banger right here, then why the hell not? So, I’m really looking forward to hearing songs like these from IMMINENCE in the future, with some 5 more minutes of awesomeness added to them. The lead single was practically cut from the same cloth, served up next in the selection, so the album got off on nothing short of a strong footing! The spirit of the said “Twin-Peaks-core” is rather strongly present throughout the album, but I reckon I should come up with a better, more Swedish term for this very sound. It’s just that Lars Von Trier’s TV series Riget (Kingdom) is the only thing that comes to mind as something similar to that famed David Lynch thing, and its name does not conveniently translate into something useful, so there’s not much I can do. The thing is, IMMINENCE has further brushed their signature sound with a good pinch of that poignant, cinematic flavor that resonates with the air of that famed Lynchian darkness. Speaking of which, it was probably this very cinematic feel that made the song, “If Not Now, When,” stand out quite remarkably. The song begins with some nice, crunchy riffs, but soon it evolves into a ballad – and I typically fucking hate ballads! I guess there is a fine line between syrup and a genuine gut-punch, and this song keeps within the realm of genuine, haunting emotion spectacularly.
Coming to think about it, if the album’s cinematic grandeur resonates with a somewhat BAD OMENS-like aura, the diabolically catchy nature of the songs, in turn, recalls BRING ME THE HORIZON‘s greatest achievements. One of the prime specimens of the selection, in this respect, is the banger entitled “Crestfallen.” It’s one hell of a beefy riffer with delicious violin lines. Then, “False Light” represents symphonic metalcore at its finest. I may not be up-to-date with what’s happening in the metalcore scene, since it’s not exactly my go-to genre when it comes to modern metal, but I would say this album places IMMINENCE in the big boys’ league if it hasn’t happened yet. Y’know, I recently read the book The Mysticism of Sound and Music, written by the Sufi master, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927), and according to his lucid exposition of music’s divine nature, the art of music can be divided into five aspects: one to induce motion of the body (that is, to shake your booty), one to satisfy the intellect, one to evoke feelings of beauty and grace, one to pierce the heart, and one to uplift the soul. IMMINENCE has masterfully employed all of these five aspects on their new album: the beefy grooves make you wanna move; there’s enough technical intricacy in the riffages to keep your inner prog-police happy; there is definitely beauty and grace about the songs, some of them even manage to pierce your heart in all the right ways, and finally, there’s an overarching sense of being uplifted by the music. Even though the music is rather darkly shaded by default, it’s far from depressing and bleak. In short, “Axis Mundi” is a great fucking record, regardless of whether or not metalcore is right down your alley, my friends.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Twisting in the Wind
- The Sword That Never Bends
- Devil May Try
- Crestfallen
- False Light
- If Not Now, When
- Didn’t Think About You (Lately)
- Leviathan
- Shed Your Skin
- Power Divine
- Exodus
Lineup
Harald Barrett – guitars
Alex Arnoldsson – guitars
Peter Hanström – drums
Eddie Berg – vocals, violin
Christian Höijer – bass
Label
Sumerian Records
