Inosuke - Rage/Ruin

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 11 Dec 2023

Tracklist:

1. Perennial

2. Woven

3. Reflect

4. Deadfall

5. Garsecg

6. Remain

One of the great things about this hobby is getting e-mails from people who are/or have been in bands you've written about in the past, especially when they've released new music or formed new bands. That's just how this review came about as I received an e-mail from Jason Kallicragas on guitar/vocals (of Locktender/Men As Tress fame) telling me about his new band Inosuke, which also features Erik Anderson (of Lord Snow/Stormlight) on drums. The duo's first album Rage/Ruin was released in December 2023 via Zegema Beach Records.

Immediately, as I hit play on Inosuke’s debut release, I’m struck by the meticulous drumming delivered by Erik Anderson. The vocals and guitar work of Jason Kallicragas soon follow, offering up more than you’d think from a duo on opener ‘Perennial’. Screamo but with a huge heap of blackened crust/metal influence too, kind of like Lightbearer and Protestant. It sounds a lot more retro than I was expecting, in a good way. The latter half of the song is filled with post-metal instrumentation and melody, which sees itself woven (sorry!) into the following song ‘Woven’. Like the opener, it breaks past the six minute mark but song length is really just an arbitrary number when the music’s this good.

This is definitely one of the darker releases to come from ZBR in recent years, though musically it sits really well amongst the label’s mix of screamo, emoviolence and myriad adjacent sub-genres. One thing’s for sure, it rages like no other in a time when nostalgic represses of albums gone by are ever popular. There’s room for them for sure, but new bands breath new life into communities and scenes. ‘Woven’ is a perfect example of how that can happen. 

From the majestic peaks of Rage/Ruin’s opening duo comes the gorgeous instrumental song ‘Reflect’, which conjures images of clouds clearing atop of a mountain, giving way to the perfect view that stretches for many miles. It gives but a brief moment of reflection before Inosuke once again hit the loud pedal on ‘Deadfall’. Less grand and cinematic this time, it dials up the technicality and heaviness, condensed into a much shorter yet more succinct package.

I had to double check the spelling of ‘Garsecg’ before I started this review as I thought it was a misspelling. It isn’t and I’m still none the wiser about it’s meaning but that doesn’t matter because the music it contains is fantastic. The instrumental section that hits after 02:40 is everything I love and more, especially after gravitating towards improv/virtuoso instrumental/post metal over the last six months. Inosuke could easily sit alongside The Ocean, Rosetta and Infant Island such is their quality. 

Album closer ‘Remain’ is gentle, bringing forth subtle similarities to Sleep Token’s ability to build atmosphere (apologies, they ended up being my most listened to band of 2023). It’s another instrumental song that’s beautiful in it’s delivery but that also begs the question; what would an Inosuke album sound like if they went hell for leather from start to finish. 

Given the musical pedigree of both Jason and Erik, there’s plenty of reasons to play Rage/Ruin constantly. This is a great release, one that deserves plenty of exposure and praise in 2024 and beyond. I’m hoping for more music from Inosuke in the future.

You can stream and purchase Rage/Ruin digitally from Inosuke below:-

Inosuke - https://www.facebook.com/inosukeband

Physical vinyl copies can be purchased from Zegema Beach Records below:-

ZBR CAN/INTL Store - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/inosuke

ZBR USA Store - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/inosuke

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords