Album Review: The Cranberries - In The End

When it was announced, following an inquest, that Dolores O’Riordan had drowned in a bathtub in a London hotel as a result of intoxication from alcohol, the British coroner labelled it a “tragic accident”. 

Tragedy therefore becomes a major theme behind The Cranberries’ aptly named swan song, In The End. While it was recorded post O’Riordan’s death using vocal demos, this remains a fully actualised body of work. It’s not merely a patchwork of incomplete demos, milking a tragedy. Nor does it threaten to refute the legacy of one of the ‘90s most iconic bands. 

With songs titled All Over Now, Lost, Wake Me When It’s Over and In The End, grief is ever-present. But listening to the lyrics it becomes evident that this is a tragedy not synonymous with death but with living. From hearing O’Riordan’s trademark vocal cry in the opening line, “Do you remember?/Remember the night?/At a hotel in London," there’s a haunting power in hindsight.

Sonically, there is a return to the creeping indie guitar sound from the band’s original records, making this a poetic, coming-full-circle-type deal. Soft verses juxtapose grungey choruses and when you consider these are vocal demos, the raw power of O’Riordan’s voice hits you like an emotional gut-punch. 

While the tragedy remains deep-seated through the album, hopefully release day will double as a release of some of the pain associated. In the same way, In The End should not be considered testament to suffering but rather to the power of the human spirit and our capacity to feel.