01. The Sepulcher Of Time
02. The Dawn Over Ruins
03. The Silent Abscission
04. In The Shadow Of The Falling Star
05. Wrath Of The Endless Sea
06. The Last Cry Of Cosmos
07. A World Unmade
08. Inherits The Void

Inherits The Void are one of the best bands in melodic black metal right now. Enter The Silent Abscission and find out why.

Inherits The Void is a French atmospheric/melodic black metal band formed by multi-instrumentalist Antoine Scholtès (A.S.) in 2020. The band's style is primarily influenced by the 1990s Swedish meloblack scene (particularly acts such as Dissection, Sacramentum, Dawn, and Vinterland), while incorporating modern atmoblack elements. They set the ball rolling with their debut EP Mémoires (2020) before unleashing their full-length debut Began Monolith Of Light (2021). This was soon followed by the praised sophomore The Impending Fall Of The Stars (2023). However, they really stepped it up a gear on their third album Scars Of Yesteryears (2024), which I felt was one of the most memorable releases in the meloblack category that year; you can find out why I thought that here in my review.

Now, with much anticipation, A.S. returns again as multi-instrumentalist and main composer alongside Romain Negro (vocals) and Nicolas Müller (drums), who together release the fourth album The Silent Abscission. The album is a vastly cinematic and deeply emotive journey that through 8 diverse tracks follows a conceptual overarching and visionary theme exploring cosmic implosion, isolation, nihilism, existential collapse, and humanity's disconnection from the living world. Listeners are transported through dark, cold abysses and desolate starless soundscapes, where celestial bodies collide, and where matter and spirit are consumed within the same incantation.

Musically, The Silent Abscission is the longest, most ambitious, structurally diverse, and emotionally intense album from the band to date. The band has built on the foundations of its roots by merging atmoblack, 90s meloblack, and melodeath with modern post-black features. There's an increased depth in the atmosphere to that of previous releases, it feels more dense and vibrant. Here they've ventured deeper into unknown cosmic territory, where it can be just as dark and unforgiving as it is beautiful and tranquil.

It features a whirlwind of mesmerizing instrumentation, from frantic thundering blast beats, to twin guitar harmonies that duel between ferociously dissonant to elegantly melodic tremolos and beautiful sweeping solos. There is heavily layered use of synths, which play a prominent role in shaping the cosmic atmosphere, and even the saxophone is featured several times to add further dynamics. The vocals are also more diverse courtesy of Romain Negro, who delivers agonizing screams and tortuous shrieks alongside cleans that hauntingly echo through the depths of the void.

The key to bringing all these elements together is in the masterful production. The mix is huge, refined, and punchy, far from the raw, edgy, and lo-fi sound from the band's previous material. This is great if you want to experience a full-on dynamic, multi-layered sonic soundscape, but if you're a meloblack traditionalist who simply prefers the old-school rough and unpolished approach, then there's a chance you'll find the sound too overbearing and the production lacking in authenticity.

Inherits The Void has gone from being a one-man bedroom project to a full-fledged powerhouse in modern meloblack metal, and The Silent Abscission has cemented the band's position in being so. As a whole I'd say The Silent Abscission is the band's most consistently solid release, and certainly the most professionally produced and mature in songwriting. However, I'd argue that Scars Of Yesteryears just edges it for me in terms of sheer memorability. There are several moments, melodies, and tracks from that album, such as "The Meander’s Gate" and "L’Eternelle Course Des Astres", that I still regularly feature on my modern meloblack playlist.

Don't get me wrong, there are some top quality songs also featured on this album, such as the  stunning cinematic title track "The Silent Abscission" and the emotionally atmospheric closer "Inherits The Void". Even then, though, I'm not sure the quality of those songs will manage to push those from the previous album off my playlist. Regardless of that, the band has continued to show great promise in such a short period, and The Silent Abscission will undeniably be in contention for meloblack AOTY come end of 2026.

Performance:	8
Songwriting:	8
Originality:	7
Production:	8