Music is a powerful conduit for an artist. It's a prism; a means of refracting one's innermost sentiments into an array of emotions that vividly showcase the artist's soul to the listener. Maybe it's a personal bias, but extreme music has always seemed to be a bit more vivid; even a bit more truthful in how many emotions flow through a soul. Certain albums seem to strike a greater chord and not only present sonic heaviness but an emotional heaviness as well. One of those records in more recent memory was 2018's Lore of the Lakes from Minnesota's Inexorum.
The solo project of Carl Skildum—a member of Antiverse, Threadbare, and the live iteration of Obsequiae—began as a conduit for his deep feelings and experiences. Skildum siphons his love of 90's melodic black and death metal and uses it as the medium for his expression. Skildum returns this year and now he has some help. He's joined by Matthew Kirkwold—a renowned producer and also a member of Antiverse and Obsequiae's live lineup. Together, Skildum and Kirkwold delve into that wonderfully melodic blend of black and death metal again with greater poignancy and polish.
Inexorum's second full-length record is named Moonlit Navigation. The album stands as a beacon in finding one's way to personal triumph, no matter the capacity. Nowhere on the album is that more evident than in its scintillating title track. Highlighted by a stark juxtaposition of crystalline riffs and deeply growled vocals, the five-minute track roars with extravagant might. That power is only amplified in the story that Skildum poured into it.
Artwork by Brooks Wilson
In a statement to Metal Injection, Skildum says, "I grew up in northern Minnesota, in a small town on a lake surrounded by woods. Exploring the woods around my home was one of my favorite things to do, especially at night. There was nothing like the feeling of seeing the moon and stars over the trees (and sometimes spectacular aurora light shows as well)."
"Later I moved to the Twin Cities and that sort of experience faded from my life for a time. As an adult, I pay a lot more attention when I get the opportunity to have those quiet moments in nature," Skildum continues. This song is about recapturing that feeling of awe and silence. When I wrote it I was thinking how helpful it is for my state of mind when I get to step out of the day-to-day and appreciate natural wonders that have been here before me and will persist long after all of my personal worries are gone."
Skildum had done most of the work on Inexorum's previous music video. However, for this video—given his ideas and what he hoped to convey—he looked for some help. Skildum explains, "I tried shooting my own moon footage with my iPhone like I did for the "Lore of the Lakes" video, but the quality of the nighttime video wasn't there. So I asked Samuel Thomas Claeys, who did our photoshoots for this record if he had any b-roll or stock footage of the moon, and that's what I ended up using."
Moonlit Navigation arrives June 26 through Gilead Media. Pre-order the album now and watch the video for the album's enthralling title track.
Inexorum is on Facebook.
