by Kurt Orzeck
Doom-curious death-metal delinquents Innumerable Forms may not be the most charming crew you’ll bump into in Boston (not that the majority of Bostonians would qualify in that regard anyway). But as far as this band’s ever-improving tune-age is concerned, the third time’s the charm with Pain Effulgence. The band first reared its horned head in February 2010 with an EP (Dark Worship) that was the coarse-sounding equivalent of a Brillo pad. Innumerable Forms maintained a similar trajectory in July 2013 via a split 12-inch with like-minded old-school death-metal-inspired pals Blessed Offal. Next up was Punishment in Flesh, which provided more evidence that they had a fetish for Khanate and their slower-than-an-icicle-melting-in-31-degree-Farenheit-temperature approach.
Then came Despotic Rule in 2020, on which Innumerable Forms showed they had a pulse and began to spread their septic seed in a broader direction. Compared to their past releases, 2022’s Lifeless Harvest and the following year’s The Fall Down EP were downright punchy, and Innumerable Forms took an even more inconceivable step forward with the snail-paced yet well-polished Pain Effulgence.
The record sounds like the end game that Innumerable Forms set out to achieve all those years ago. Long forgotten is the raw, grisly sound that is especially challenging when listening to long, slow passages of cavernous exploration. “Blotted Inside” and “Dissonant Drift” showcases guitarists Chris Ulsh (who also plays bass) and Jensen Ward assuredly — and, after so many years being in the band, deservedly — lacing the songs with some surprise virtuosity.
Founding vocalist Justin DeTore sounds as hoarse as ever, grounding the band in its roots and, along with drummer Connor Donegan, suggesting to listeners that they haven’t strayed from their original mission: to remind us all that we are all doomed, but that it doesn’t mean the soundtrack to our demise can’t sound righteous. This is neither counsel nor a wish, but if Innumerable Forms concluded their career with this record, they will have achieved their goal. It’s hard to see how they can improve on Pain Effulgence, but hey, crazier — and sicker — things have happened.