Inglorious – V – Album Review
9th June 2025There are albums. There are statements. And then there is V. A sonic monument erected by Inglorious in honour of themselves, by themselves, for the benefit of everyone else too slow, dim, or birth-deficient to be in the band. This isn’t a release, it’s a declaration of dominance. It’s what happens when mere mortals try to keep pace with deities who’ve already finished the race and are now lounging at the finish line, drinking your tears from engraved chalices.
Never underestimate Nathan James. He doesn’t sing on V. He ordains. He commands. He bellows with the self-assurance of a man who’s seen Heaven, stolen its key, and changed the locks. His voice doesn’t soar—it takes hostages. His lungs, by now, must be classified as weapons-grade. There are frontmen, and then there’s Nathan—part lion, part thunderclap, part misunderstood demigod sent to remind us that charisma is hereditary and he’s hoarding all of it.
Colin Parkinson returns not like a prodigal son, but like an emperor reclaiming a stolen throne. His bass doesn’t walk or run—it conquers terrain. Every pluck is a threat, every riff a warning shot. And together, James and Parkinson don’t collaborate, they collude—their musical partnership is less Lennon/McCartney and more Caesar/Napoleon, if both wore leather and hated the quiet.
Richard Shaw plays like he’s trying to make Lucifer jealous. It’s not solos, it’s prophecy. His fretboard doesn’t smoke—it weeps with gratitude. The riffs are weapons; the leads are arson. There’s no tasteful restraint here. Taste is for critics.
The drums, courtesy of Henry Rogers, are not a collection of instruments; it’s a war machine operated by a man who doesn’t just keep time—he bends it.
Let’s talk songs.
“Say What You Wanna Say” is probably the hit, if you believe in that kind of thing. It’s got that strut, that thing where you know it’ll work live even if you hate yourself for liking it. “Eat You Alive” feels like someone tried to bottle adrenaline and got distracted halfway through. “Power of Truth” is the closer and, it tries a bit too hard—but I respect that. Trying too hard is better than not trying at all, which is most of what passes for rock right now.
Not every track lands. “Believe” feels like it wandered in from a different session. “Silent” isn’t. “In Your Eyes” sounds like a leftover from II. But even the misses swing for the fence. That’s more than I can say for half the bands still clutching their dad’s Les Paul and hoping nobody notices the auto-tune.
This isn’t subtle. It’s not supposed to be. Subtlety is how we ended up drowning in whispery indie bands and Spotify-core wallpaper. V is loud, proud, a bit smug—and rightly so.
You don’t have to love this album. Hell, you don’t even have to like it. But you will remember it. And in 2025, that’s more than most can manage.
Go listen. Or don’t. The record doesn’t need you.
Score 5/10
Track List
1. Testify
2. Eat You Alive
3. Devil Inside
4. Say What You Wanna Say
5. Believe
6. Stand
7. In Your Eyes
8. Silent
9. End Of The Road
10. Power Of Truth
Label: Frontiers
Release: 6th June 2025
