Giving this album a first spin at an average headphone volume, my first thoughts were to pass this album off as yet another Slayerish clone that will never make it in this world. A few spins later, pumping the volume up to maximum, I`ve revised my judgement completely. I still think that Dew-Scented will never become a big player in the scene, but this will have nothing to do with their qualities and skills as musicians.

To call Inwards innovative or original would be nonsense; it is neither. Then again, it doesn`t need to be either. Floryan, Patrick, Leffe and Uwe managed to create a very captive, thrashy, easy sound that is far better than most of the Slayer clones I was talking about earlier. Actually, listen to the opening of "Unconditional" and the forbidden thought might enter your mind that these guys are probably better than Slayer themselves nowadays.

Still, Slayer cannot be given all the credits in forming the educational basis for the band. Another very obvious influence has been At The Gates, and Inwards from time to time sounds very reminiscent of their early albums in harshness and technicality.

Hardcore, death, thrash, combined in catchy-yet-driven songs. Yes, by looking at all those properties, they can easily be placed in the same alley as The Haunted on their second album. However, unlike The Haunted, Dew-Scented did not decide to slow down their pace now and then, something I am quite grateful of. Inwards is a rollercoaster-thrash-ride from beginning to end; the clear and suiting production is in the skilled hands of Andy Classen and the artwork is allright though I wish they would ditch the logo.

Inwards. Even though it doesn`t compare to Slayer`s "Reign In Blood" or The Haunted`s selftitled album, it is unmistakenly an album that should be in the collection of everybody that sees those two albums as `essential`. Yep, as long as they keep cranking out albums like this I won`t complain about utterly pointless things like originality and identity. Keep `em rollin`, guys!