Coming subsequent to guitarist/vocalist Victor Griffin putting to rest his band Place of Skulls to rest and once more severing his ties to American doom legends Pentagram, it’s not at all a challenge to read his forming of the new outfit In~Graved (also written sometimes as the less-stylized In-Graved or Victor Griffin’s In~Graved; a matter for time to clear up) as the beginning of a new era. The one-time Death Row leader plays to many of his long-since established strengths throughout In-Graved‘s self-titled debut, released by Svart, but even so, his methods have changed. While some of what makes up In-Graved will be familiar to those who’ve followed Griffin over however long an expanse of years — riffs, solos, passion and faith coming to mind immediately as consistent elements — the personality of In-Graved is nonetheless distinct, and that’s thanks in no small part to Griffin and drummer “Minnesota” Pete Campbell (also Place of Skulls and Sixty Watt Shaman) being joined by a host of bass players throughout the course of these eight tracks.

And I do mean a host. Along with Guy Pinhas (The Obsessed, Goatsnake, Acid King), who will join Griffin and Campbell as part of In-Graved‘s touring lineup in support of the album, Trouble‘s Ron Holzner (also Earthen Grave and The Skull), Place of Skulls‘ Greg Turley, West Virginian doomer Dan Lively (also Sweet Cicada), Marty Swaney (Death Row, Pentagram) and even Griffin‘s own wife, Anne, all contribute bass throughout, and Trouble‘s Jeff Oly Olson (also Retro Grave) and Orodruin‘s Mike Puleo play keyboards, so In-Graved‘s debut is nothing if not densely packed in terms of its personnel. That it manages to get through its 40-minute span and come out on the other end with a cohesive sonic personality is perhaps the album’s greatest achievement, but like Place of Skulls before it, that musical personality ultimately becomes deeply tied to Griffin‘s as he leads the new band with his characteristic guitar tone and soulful vocal approach.

The album begins with “Digital Critic,” its lyrics a familiar indictment of those hiding behind internet anonymity while levying harsh criticism at an artist’s work. I don’t recall either Place of Skulls‘ last album, 2010’s As a Dog Returns (review here), or Pentagram‘s triumphant Griffin-inclusive comeback, Last Rites (review here), being met with vitriol — particularly in the case of the latter, the praise bordered on hyperbole — but perhaps some in the online sphere dug into As a Dog Returns on account of Griffin‘s up-front, here-it-is-so-deal-with-it Christian thematics, very much present on that album in songs like “He’s God,” “The Maker” and “Breath of Life.” Well, as if in a follow-up response to the initial charges brought forth in “Digital Critic” — the chugging riff and keyboard work of which make a strong opener — Griffin moves directly into “What If…,” which marks In-Graved‘s most directly Christian lyric, the central question being what if you died and there turned out to be an afterlife, if there wasn’t just an end, nothing, done, but a heaven and eternity to come, the second verse seeming to recoil at the meaninglessness of a life that just ends when it’s over.

As a nonbeliever, I have my answers to these questions, but I see value neither in spewing them here or answering back Griffin‘s faith — which he has blatantly, bravely and passionately expressed in a manner 100 percent free of irony — with what would likely only come across as condescension or sarcasm. Instead, it seems more useful to me to consider a track like “What If…” as a work of Christian art presenting a Christian perspective, and remind myself that just because someone doesn’t share that perspective doesn’t mean they can’t appreciate the art. I don’t believe in the teachings of Buddha either, but that doesn’t mean I can’t think a statue is beautiful, and so as Griffin rips into one of In-Graved‘s many impressive solos, the songwriting, the central riff around which the song is based, and the melodic depth added by the keys make “What If…” a quality track, not because or in spite of the faith in the lyrics, but including them as well for the honesty they carry.

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