MOTHER MISERY, this heavy metal rock band from Sweden will release their fifth album entitled “From Shadow To Ghost” on December 15th, 2023 via Doc Gator Records. When I saw the cover artwork for this album, I felt quite confused about the meaning of their artwork. However, I don’t really think about the story behind the artwork, I’m more curious about the songs on this album, especially they play melodic heavy rock music which will make us think that they are able to combine three genres in one album.
This album opens with “No Halo” a melodic metal song with a touch of rock, supported by the character of vocalist John Hermansen who really has a rock character and sometimes I find the vocal character of 90s American rock (maybe something like FOO FIGHTERS), so it making their music sometimes feel modern and fresh for typical melodic metal music. The second song “The Phoenix“, powerful drums and strong melodies accompany the vocalist. Entering the middle of the song, the character of black metal music can be heard, the drums and rhythm guitar are fast but feel brighter.
“What Can I Say“, the guitar intro at the beginning of this song made me remember the song “In The Shadow” from BEYOND THE BLACK but with a more rock version. This song is a song that feels quite relaxed but has powerful drums and strong guitar sounds, both rhythm and melodies. John Hermansen‘s powerful screaming voice in the chorus is also powerful.
In the song “Next Generation” the tempo of the song is faster with a melodic guitar rhythm that is easy to enjoy. Here John Hermansen’s voice often sings with powerful screaming notes. The part that really impressed me about this song was the moment where they included background sounds which sometimes overlapped with the vocalist. Next, “Don’t Be The Broken“, the fifth song, to my ears, has a strong rock music feel from all aspects.
Sixth, the heavy rock song “We Live, We Die” with an anthemic chorus and catchy guitar and in some moments the rhythm guitar is heavier. The solo part is filled with beautiful guitar melodies and heavy metal guitar rhythms that will make our heads bang. Followed by the song “Reveal Them“, in this seventh song, vocalist Hermansen’s voice is very beautiful, he sings from rock to melodic metal characters. And supported by melodic metal music and sometimes it feels a little power metal.
Then the song “Saint Sinner” immediately opens with a heavy metal guitar and drums melody and a faster tempo than the previous song. With a strong heavy metal rhythm and bass beats that are quite pronounced in this song and equipped with a very melodic and catchy solo part. The song “Someone Else“, with acoustic guitar strums coloring the beginning of this song and continues with quite powerful drum beats and vocals that feel a bit screaming throughout the song. The solo part which is melodic and catchy but short in duration is the part that is a highlight for me personally.
The last song, “Into The Unknown“, this song feels more epic than the other songs on this album, it feels more emotional, more varied and dynamic. The bass beats are heard more often, here the song flow feels very dynamic with the tempo of the song changing several times, the drums are also more varied and the vocals are not monotonous. Near the end of the song they include a piano instrument which feels simple but in the right placement so it feels very elegant.
Overall, this fifth album presents heavy metal rock music that is full of strong melodies, dynamic vocals, powerful drums and extraordinary bass notes. On the production side, with their experience and journey in making music, with their fifth album, it is only fitting that they have a quality of workmanship in the studio kitchen that is above average. For those of you who are fans of bands like ECLIPSE, AUDREY HORNE, FOO FIGHTERS and AUDIOSLAVE, it is really worth including this album in their lineup.
LINE UP:
John Hermansen – Vocals, Guitar
Emil Ström – Guitar, Lead-Guitar
Stiff Hell – Bass
Jimmy Lindbergh – Drums, Percussions
TRACKLIST:
01. No Halo
02. The Phoenix
03. What Can I Say
04. Next Generation
05. Don’t Be The Broken
06. We Live, We Die
07. Reveal Them
08. Saint Sinner
09. Someone Else
10. Into The Unknown
SCORE:
Music: 7
Production: 8
Homepage: https://mothermisery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherMisery
