After six albums, something started to go awry on 2017’s ‘Ritual’ which leant heavily on cover versions and interpolations, making it sound tired and over-familiar., and subsequent album, ‘Mother’, doubled down on these weaknesses. Worse still, they thought it was a good idea to make a girl-power cover of Queen’s camp classic ‘We Will Rock You’ the album’s centrepiece. Consequently, new album ‘Godmode’ arrives with a due sense of dread.

Press play and you feel the relief. Right off the bat, the album feels like a proper reinvention, as though they’ve stripped out everything and rebuilt the sound from scratch. It’s basically the same as their previous albums but pushes aside lush soundscapes for a dirtier, more lived-in feel. After being shackled to introverted cover versions, there’s a boldness – a hunger – to these songs that the band seemed to have lost. This is mainly due to an upbeat tone with songs like ‘The Purge’ and ‘Godmode’, mixing throbbing beats, keyboards and djent-style guitar riffs over a full-band rhythm section. In many ways, it harkens back to their first forays into industrial music, harnessing a kind of factory/production-line intensity, but with a very different twist.

Sketched out during lockdown, the album’s genesis was a contrast to previous records where Brink and Howorth had a penchant for turning up at the studio unprepared. Notably, this means it is more restrained than previous records and there are fewer wild creative impulses (You’re not getting anything as creative as 2014’s ‘Sex-Metal Barbie’), instead there’s a much clearer creative vision. Despite the songs having their own style, be that the djent metal of ‘Sanctified’ or the way ‘Fate Bringer’ throbs with unsettling dance rhythm, they flow together creating a constant feel of evolution and change. This feeling is mirrored in the songs themselves. Each is replete with ideas and constantly changes form, but rather than feeling Frankensteined together. they flow remarkably well. For example, ‘Godmode’ hammocks its druggy doo-wop chorus between a vicious verse to give the song a smile-while-I’m-stabbing-you aura.

The main draw here is, of course, Maria Brink’s voice. She’s hypnotic, beautiful, ugly, horrifying and absolutely intoxicating in equal measure, switching style almost constantly, contrasting phrases and sounds and always drawing you deeper into her world. Often she performs in a rough mewling tone like on ‘Army Of Me’ but each song has a defining characteristic like the croaky rap that opens ‘The Purge’, the swirling drunken singing on ‘Skyburner’, the screamed verses on ‘Sanctify Me’ or the rasp and screech of ‘Godmode’. In complete contrast, the delicate pronunciation that makes ‘Everything Starts And Ends With You’ so intimate shows off why she’s one of the most versatile vocalists in metal.

Brink has reinvented herself with each album, from porcelain doll, Alice in Wonderland, cowgirl, black widow, sacrificial virgin, mother figure, and finally to goddess. It’s interesting to consider how she casts herself as all-powerful and worthy of worship especially through her lyrics and imagery. There’s a certain wryness to all this and that undercurrent keeps everything playful. Given how the term ‘Godmode’ has origins in video games, and the way it is being expressed through electronic music, it implies your god is in the machine. This combination of ideas, an electronic world with its heart in theology, is a fascinating framework for an industrial record and by leaning on the idea of being an omnipresent observer without fear of recrimination Brink gives her lyrics a strange, detached quality. Either way, they’re far more interesting than regurgitating 80’s pop hits.

Having worked with producer Kevin Churko since 2008, the album introduces a new collaborator, who turns out to be his son, Kane Churko. This makes sense. There’s an overlap to their approach and it’s reasonable to assume his youth is driving the album’s relative freshness, leading to a really great piece of production. Notably the guitar tones change between soft or djenty depending on the context and feel remarkably heavy even when they’re understated. Equally, the vocals are often smeared, echoed or stuttered for effect but, importantly, this doesn’t detract from Brink’s performance or dim their power. However, the most impressive feature of his work is the way Churko balances each song’s many moving parts and disparate elements without compromising its vision. You can hear this in how the lofty vocals of ‘Skyburner’ are tethered to a driving riff or the way epic rock ballad  ‘I Would Die For You’ screws itself up into a hysterical tantrum only to open out again like a flower.

Despite its strengths, the record does have a few weaknesses. At times, Brink struggles to find a really striking chorus (possibly why she leant so hard on cover versions) and thus the album feels like it lacks a hard-hitting climax. This is also a feature of the album’s now-standard duet, ‘Damaged’., featuring Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills but the charged interplay between singers – the whole point of these types of song – is weirdly absent. Compare to 2020’s ‘Hunting Ground’ which used the double meaning of the phrase ‘One of us is going down’ to create an outrageous sexual tension and you’ll see just why it feels so oddly flaccid.

Once again In This Moment are rejuvenated. It’s not quite God level and more of a rediscovery than a reinvention but with a fresh perspective, solid songs and a consistent tone, ‘Godmode’ thrives on its unified vision and crackles with mischievous energy.

IAN KENWORTHY

‘Mother’ opens with the aptly titled instrumental interlude, ‘The Beginning’, with distant horns, whispers and an air of mystic ceremony. The ominous words “I am the God and the Devil around you” set the tone for an album peppered with spiritual overtones and themes of Heaven and Hell that have made regular appearances throughout In This Moment’s fifteen-year career.

The chanting of the intro carries over into an unexpected cover of Steve Miller Band’s ‘Fly Like An Eagle’, reimagined with a pumping industrial bass beat and Brink’s guttural, trademark sexy blues screech.  Another interlude follows, with a haunting choral arrangement that adds to the atmosphere of religious melancholy.

The first single release from the album, ‘The In Between’ builds a choppy vocal intro into a gnawing, grinding, downtuned bassline. The combination of Brink’s screams, that muddy bass and punchy power chords in the chorus beautifully contrast with the sugar sweet vocal layering over the top. It’s a slow build to a slickly produced standalone single, and will no doubt lend itself well to a high-octane stage show.

‘Legacy’ slows the pace, with subtle electronic beats underpinning Brink’s belting vocals. It’s not the most exciting track on the album, but it’s showcasing that kind of big rock ballad that In This Moment have made their own, complete with some major 90’s clifftop guitar solo vibes thrown in for good measure.

Next up is another cover, this time of Queen’s enormous rock anthem ‘We Will Rock You’. Enlisting the help of fellow vocalists Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless) and Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), the cheesy rock club connotations inherent in the hugely popular number somehow detract from the air of gothic mystery which floats over the rest of the album. No doubt it’ll be a crowd favourite nonetheless, as it still packs that big rock delivery that suits an energetic live stage set up.

Title track ‘Mother’ seems to step over the line from smooth production to being over-produced which is a shame, because Brink’s rawer vocals could shine out well given half a chance. There are some beautiful moments in the breakdown which feel like they embody the intention of the whole album, but are sometimes lost to meet a more polished output.

The third single release ‘As Above So Below’ has all the elements of a pop rock hit. With a sing along chorus, head banging beats, classic riffs and touches of remixed electronica, it’s a well-rounded track that sees In This Moment doing what they do best.

Next up is a trilogy of songs that are full of potential, but just don’t quite hit the mark. ‘Born In Flames’ blends a heartbeat sound into an 80’s synth intro that isn’t a million miles away from title sequence of cult favourite series Stranger Things. Sadly, it morphs into a slow ballad that never really grows into anything exciting. ‘God Is She’ doesn’t offer much more than some big riffs under a lacklustre chorus, and ‘Holy Man’ continues the slower pace with a chunky intro that goes nowhere. There are polished beats and solid riffs in these tracks, but for those listening to the album from start to finish, they don’t do enough to grab the listener’s attention and everything becomes slightly tedious.

Thankfully, second single ‘Hunting Grounds’ pumps a well needed boost of energy back into the mix. Guest vocals from DED’s Joe Cotela add texture and depth, and the back and forth duet highlights a vulnerability that’s rarely seen beneath Brink’s powerful demeanour. Her formidable voice is showcased again in ‘Lay Me Down’, underpinned by characteristic rock riffs and a heavy dose of reverb and distortion.

‘Into Dust’ closes the album with ethereal vocals and a captivating, melodic piano line reminiscent of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardop’. The magical, spiritual atmosphere created in ‘The Beginning’ returns, and the album finishes as it started, with moody, mystical intrigue.

‘Mother’ has some great moments. The three singles tick all the hard rock boxes, and the production is slick and consistent throughout. In This Moment are continuing along their path, telling a story of spirituality, life and transcendence, and at points, this come across effectively and powerfully. Not every track on the album delivers, but there are some gems to add to the arsenal of stadium friendly power tunes that In This Moment do so well.

ELLIE ODURNY

Alexisonfire, Babymetal, Black Veil Brides, Body Count, Bullet for My Valentine, Dream State, In This Moment, Marilyn Manson, Mayday Parade, Meshuggah, Neck Deep, Parkway Drive, Pink Slips, Rise Against, The Hives, and WSTR will join headliners Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold and Guns N’ Roses at the Donnington Park based rock/metal festival, which takes place from the 8th to the 10th June. More bands will be revealed soon.

Tickets are available to purchase now on the festival website.