Album Review: Inner Stream - Stain The Sea

A sentence I didn't want to write, but knew I would have to, is this; 2021 continues the resurgence of nu-metal. The cyclical nature of music has reared its head again, and nu-metal is seeing its influence once again rise. It wasn't that long ago a new band like Inner Stream would have done anything they could to avoid having that label thrown at them, but now they chose to put that bit of information in their own press release hyping up this album. I lived through that time once, and I'm not really interested in doing it again.

I'm not entirely sure why they decided to make that declaration at all, to be honest. There are low-tuned guitars that occasionally play chugging riffs, but there is hardly enough nu-metal influence to be notable if they hadn't pointed it out. So does that mean they want to jump on the nu-metal bandwagon even if they don't belong there? That's a rather scary thought.

What this album is, to be more accurate, is a mildly adventurous melodic metal album built to feature Ines Vera Ortiz' vocals. What it most reminds me of is Amanda Somerville's Trillium project, where a slight bit of theatricality moves things a bit off-center. This record isn't as cookie-cutter as many, but it still suffers from the same problem; the songs aren't memorable enough. Inez is a capable singer, and the approach gives them enough of an identity, but only a couple of these eleven songs are capable of getting stuck in your head.

"Fair War" is one of them, and that's where you can see how this band can grow and develop into something really good. They have flair to how they play, and Inez has the right voice for the style. It's just a shame their songwriting can't hit those high marks more often. "Dance With Shades" joins the list of charming tracks making this album worth listening to, but then "Drown Me" follows with a heavier approach and a flat melody that doesn't do anything to make the song engaging. It's only four minutes, but it feels longer.

Songwriting is what separates the great bands from all the other musicians out there who are more than capable as players and singers. Songs are what make everything else possible, and there aren't enough great songwriters to fill out the number of bands and albums we encounter on a day to day basis. That's where Inner Stream finds themselves. They have the talent to be a solid band, but they need to develop their songwriting, or find people to work with who can bring out the best in them. Albums like this are commonplace, and won't leave any impact once the next thing comes along.

"Stain The Sea" is another pleasant album that will pass over the horizon in the middle of the ocean, disappearing into a vast nothingness.