SULPHUR ENGLISH LP

Richmond's INTER ARMA, reigning masters of the slow build, continue to trace a distinctly
ambitious trajectory through modern metal. Their impulses tend toward the epic, but never
bloat; they meld several styles ' doom, sludge, and hard psych ' without coming off like
dilettantes. This newest full-length, Sulphur English, finds them mining deeper in the proggy
organic doom fields that made both Paradise Gallows and Sky Burial so thrilling while
expanding further the on the psych-folk strain that made those albums' peaks seem so lofty.
Few metal bands have ever made such effective use of acoustic instruments in truly heavy
environments as INTER ARMA do; the acoustic guitar that stitches "Stillness" together is as
effective as any overdriven bass; a two-minute gloomy piano-and-feedback piece titled
"Observances of the Path" rolls out the carpet for "The Atavist's Meridian," an album highlight
that rides a gigantic, roomy drum sound into realms akin to a murkier Paradise Lost, a more
aggressive Om, and a dreamier, more stoned Kylesa all playing together at once. Few bands
make music as engrossing as INTER ARMA; their lengthy, almost meditative songs rumble
patiently forward until you're ready to get thrown off a bridge ' and then they throw you,
with great force. - Words by John Darnielle