Album Review: INK – Loom (Self Released)

INK, from Greece, formed way back in 1999 & have been making steady progress in the world of rock and metal with their unique sound. Loom, their latest album was released in January 2016.

INK’s rock sound is a heavily guitar/bass driven affair with opening track Desert Son showcasing a slow, dark affair that has an almost gothic tone to it. It’s got a beat that gets under your skin & begs to be paid attention too.

It’s exciting to hear the guitars turned up in the mix ensuring that they are the real heroes of this record. Vocally it’s very impressive too as singer Chris Tsantalis has a nice drawl about him & on the faster & more exciting Sell Me, it’s a real highlight.

Hardly what you might call a heavy album it shares much in common with the likes of Alice in Chains & Tool (less grunge, more modern AIC). A dark edge with bags of melody & very exciting riffs, it shows a band that is clearly confident with their direction.

Only on a handful of occasions does it fall to hit the highs found elsewhere. Rain is bland at times but the catchy as hell guitar riffs really help lift it while Persephone has a more epic and intense feel. Some good guitar strumming, followed by a nice drum beat that welcomes the vocals to play along before the chorus erupts impressively. One of the best songs on the album that builds excitement for what might follow next.

It’s a tough song to follow and Days of Storm definitely struggles while Question’s bass-led beat is one of my favourite moments of the album, it’s got bags of melody but a heaviness that weighs down on you. Another strong showing, further proof that Ink have made a hell of an album here.

The amount of variety throughout this 11 track album is impressive, few tracks sound the same but their is an obvious theme that ensures the album sounds like a complete record rather than a bunch of individual singles.

The final three songs finish things as strongly as it begun with songs like Legend leaving me open-mouthed with its guitar work & epic vocal highs. Little Story’s more ballad like tune & the moodier more industrial sounding, Ophelia. The former offers a nice melody that is foot-tappingly catchy while the latter brings some interesting effects that helps it stand out from the pack. It’s an excellent finish to a fantastic album.

Overall Track List:

1. Desert Son
2. Sell Me
3. Rain
4. Persephone
5. Days of Storm
6. Violent Dope
7. Sirens
8. Question
9. Legend
10. Little Story
11. Ophelia