Hopefully you caught our coverage of The Grim Muse last year, an album I liked so much I named it one of the Top 10 Death Metal Albums of 2015. That release caught me completely off guard. Coming fresh off of my personal dissapointment in the return of At the Gates, I needed a band like In Twilight's Embrace to more fully take over the aggressive Gothenburg throne. So now, just a few months later, a new EP has dropped from the group. Can they keep up the momentum they started?
It's a tentative yes, although Trembling feels more like a stop-gap or set of outtakes than something I can really jam out to. Of the three songs, the only one that I actually really enjoy is the Armia cover, "Opowieść Zimowa." The performance on this song is filled to the brim with energy, which is most important mark to hit when playing music written by someone else, imo. Every time this song comes on, I am physically required to get physically involved in som way.
The other two tracks are just decent. In Twilight's Embrace continue to do what made me love them to begin with: write killer guitar riffs and rip vocal chords with super-aggressive, blackened growls. All of the musicians do well in creating a similar vibe to the clear influence of Slaughter of the Soul. Unfortunately, they just don't have the same kick that "Dystopian" or "Der Hellseher" had. I do like that the band is exploring shorter tracks, which I think is their forte, but these just aren't the ones I would be naming if I was trying to get someone into the band.
In the end, I think that Trembling still proves that In Twilight's Embrace still have plenty more to offer us. And it assures that the band is hungry, and far from taking a rest. Is it going to be the release that convinces us to continue following them with its content? For me, no. But there is enough talent on display here to remind me that they are a thing, and that their last LP really knocked my block off. See what you think for yourself. If you have not already, be sure to check out The Grim Muse.