In This MomentMother

Mother incorporates the classic, familiar metal sounds from the early 2000s with modern, industrial electronics to tie the album. 

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Mother is Californian old-school rockers In This Moment’s seventh studio album and it’s well and truly a unique piece of work.

Warming up the album is a slow, instrumental interlude that kicks straight into a cover of Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like An Eagle. Who would’ve thought this classic song could sound so metal.

Moving into In This Moment’s original tracks, it seems the focus of this album is on frontwoman Maria Brink. Her husky vocals and screams carry the songs, swept along by the dark and wobbly electronics. The synths take a front seat to the instruments in a lot of the songs on Mother, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if that’s what the band was aiming for.

In This Moment have seemed to step away from the upbeat, old-school rock vibe to modernise their sound

This is especially evident in Legacy and Born In Flames, where it almost feels like these are trying to be solo songs from Brink. Her vocals are drawn back and lackluster in some parts, and compared to her usual performances, it’s a tad uninspiring.

We also get surprise guest vocal features from The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsem and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale in a cover of Queen’s We Will Rock You. It takes a lot of guts to cover anyone’s music, let alone one of the most iconic rock anthems of all time. Luckily, the all-female vocal trio manage to pull off the cover and bring an element of nostalgia and fun to the otherwise dark album.

Ending the album on a high note, Lay Me Down is the highlight of the record. This song encapsulates everything that draws people to this genre. Every instrument is both incorporated perfectly into the song while shining on its own, and Maria Brink’s stunning vocal performance is a reminder of what she’s renowned for.

Mother was supposed to be a follow up of 2017’s Ritual. Musically, In This Moment have seemed to step away from the upbeat, old-school rock vibe to modernise their sound, and good on them for taking their music to a new place. If you’re a synth fan, this album will be right up your alley.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Lay Me Down, We Will Rock You (ft. Taylor Momsem and Lzzy Hale), God Is She
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Lacuna Coil, Halestorm, Nightwish