Inter Arma

Further blurring the lines between what constitutes pure Norwegian black metal, Scandinavian blackened death metal and their influences Stateside, Richmond, VA's Inter Arma unveil one intense demon of an album with Sundown. Confusing listeners via a ballad-y piano introduction, the record instantly veers off into explosive territory with lead track "All Time Low," a seven-plus-minute exercise in metallic diversity. Initially raging with eerie, reverberating riffs and tormented screams, the song eventually winds its way through lumbering, half-time bursts until settling on an almost stoner rock inertia. Confusing as this may sound, the way in which Inter Arma go about shifting between these styles is smooth enough to come across as natural, but has just the right amount of grind to grab attention, making Sundown contrasting and interesting, but not chaotic or off-putting.