German melodeath band, In Sanity, borrows elements of the signature Swedish melodic death metal sound on its sophomore release, Ocean Of Black. On its 13 tracks, influences such as Reroute To Remain-era In Flames and Soilwork creep into the band’s sound. Although there are slight comparisons to the aforementioned bands, In Sanity thankfully hold back the reigns on the keyboards and are only used for ambience and atmosphere. The band also show a more aggressive style to its riffing and vocal delivery as well. Vocalist Erik Sollmann’s raspy, high-end bark is a hearty combination of influences such as Soilwork’s Björn “Speed” Strid, Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho and In Flame’s Anders Fridén. 

After the bland instrumental opener “Invasion,” “The Seer” explodes with a vibrant pace and proves to be one of the best tracks on the album. It contains typical melodeath rhythms and riffing, but the aggression is fierce and relentless. “Carved In Stone” is a good follow up, possessing menacing riffs and a solid rhythm section. The band’s use of chanted gang vocals adds to the dynamic in a lot of the spots and there’s loads of stellar, harmonized guitar leads and riffs throughout the album. However, the album drags a little bit after awhile due to the amount of tracks and duration, making it hard to keep the interest level up. There are even moments where you’ll almost forget who you’re listening to. However, the replay factor is medium-to-high, though, as there are a few top-notch songs that are worth revisiting. When you’re in the mood for some Swedish melodeath that isn’t In Flames or Soilwork, In Sanity’s Ocean Of Black is a solid choice.