Innerwish
Inner Wish

May 2016
Released: 2016, Ulterium Records
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

Some people say when the economy goes into a downturn people who make Metal music, make more aggressive music. That just might be the case with Inner Wish. As the Greek economy circles the drain, Innerwish have come out with what it likely their fastest and heaviest album to date.



I have never been a big fan of a band that titles their album the same name as the band, especially well into their career. I can deal with when it is a band debut album. After that it just seems weird. I can understand, bands do it to reintroduce themselves after a prolonged absence, or to introduce a new member, or showcase new direction, but in terms of catalogue symmetry it annoys me. However Inner wish have now issued their 5th album simply called INNER WISH. I believe that Innerwish choose to self-title their fifth album for a combination of all the above listed reasons. They have had had a six year gap since the last album, NO TURNING BACK. They have a new singer and drummer and as mentioned, this is the fastest, heaviest album they have done.



The most noticeable, and immediate difference is the introduction of vocalist, Geeorge Eikosipentakis who replaces ling time singer, Babis. No offence to Babis who was solid, but George is just a better singer. His aggressive tone, delivery range and power add so much more to the sound of Innerwish. It was a wise move. Everything is elevated in terms of song-writing, production, tempo, arrangements and performances. From the speedy lead off cut, ‘Roll The Dice’ to super-catchy ‘My World On Fire’ to the simply superb album highlight ‘Modern Babylon’ every song is a truly excellent representation of classic Metal. Another highlight is ‘Needles In My Mind’ with a deceptive and longer acoustic introduction which makes you think it might lead the song into ballad territory but it slides into a great grinder of a song with an excellent vocal delivery and sweet solo. The 13-track album is a generous 68 minutes and never feels long. The riffs are so solid and work well with a few little injections of choirs, such as the ones on ‘Machines Of Fear’ and epic closer ‘Tame The Seven Seas’ with more orchestral flourishes. This album will take Innerwish to the upper echelons of Greek Metal.



Sometimes change can be good and positive and in the case of the new album by Inner Wish, all the changes have combined to make this the most enjoyable album of their career.