### Victor Griffin's In-Graved: In-graved

#### 24/07/13 || gk

Victor Griffin is something of a doom metal legend for some people. His work with pentagram and Place of Skulls has often been of a really high quality and there’s no denying that the man can play the guitar. Still, his last two appearances, Pentagram’s “Last rites” and Place of Skulls’ “As a dog returns” were both dull, pedestrian affairs let down by some pretty weak song writing. So when news first broke of his new band I wasn’t all that keen but “In-Graved” is something of a pleasant surprise.

What we have here is some classy hard rock with a doom metal vibe. Griffin sounds re-energised here. His song writing and guitar playing are top notch and the songs are catchy and memorable for the most part. Album opener “Digital critic” is probably the weakest song here with a throwaway riff that is just about alright but things pick up from “What if…” with its laid back Trouble meets Place of Skulls approach and Griffin letting go on the lead guitar. Late for an early grave is a solid hard rock song with a catchy chorus. “Fading flower” is all laid back, blues rock with a melancholic feel and the band even throw in a cover with Jethro Tull’s “Teacher” which might sound like an odd choice but fits in perfectly. The star of the show here is “Love song for the dying”. A thick and heavy guitar riff sits comfortably in the front as an organ plays out in the back. It’s a memorable song that makes me want to sing along and Griffin pulls off yet another memorable solo here.

Victor Griffin has assembled a pretty strong backing band here. While he handles all the guitars and vocals, he’s ably backed by Guy Pinhas (Goatsnake) on bass, Pete Campbell (Place of Skulls) on drums and Jeff Olson from Trouble on keyboards. Still, it wouldn’t matter who was playing if the songs weren’t any good and that’s where Griffin really hits one out of the park here. With 8 songs clocking in at 40 minutes, there’s hardly any fat at all.

“In-Graved” is a high quality album of timeless hard rock. The songs are memorable, the musicianship is great and Griffin does an outstanding job. This is an album well worth checking out.

- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: Veritas Vinyl
- Website: www.in-graved.com
- Band
- Victor Griffin: vocals, guitars
- Guy Pinhas: bass
- Jeff Olson: keyboards
- Pete Campbell: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Digital Critic
- 02. What If…
- 03. Late for an Early Grave
- 04. Fading Flower
- 05. Thorn in the Flesh
- 06. Teacher
- 07. Love Song for the Dying
- 08. Never Surrender