I totally respect bands who have a big technical insight and great technical skills. That, however, doesn't mean that I am always able to fully understand and appreciate the music they create. I've often stated that I probably have a simple taste and that I lose grasp when music gets too complicated.

This is the case with the Danish tech death trio Innsmouth.

There are extremely cool and heavy passages in the Lovecraftian universe on 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth', but there are certainly also instances where I get kind of lost in the haze of sound. Under The Pyramids is a good example of this. For me, it moves in all sorts of directions at once and therefore goes nowhere.

'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' is for me not so much about songs as it is a display of technical skills. This in essence means that I personally miss at least one or two really catchy tunes to ground everything and make it, well, more tangible.

Those who actually look into the band and the CD will notice that there is no drummer and that guitarist Thor and a former band member are credited for drum programming. Scary you might think, but actually it's not too bad - it's not really something you notice when listening.

If you're looking for surprises on 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth', I'd say the biggest one if the instrumental The Colour Out of Space, which has more of an Yngve Malmsteen inspiration than I had seen coming from these death metal craftsmen. Nice one.

For fans of Nile and Necrophagist and, sadly, not so much for me.

Find a prelisten right here: