ALBUM REVIEW: The Light That Keeps Us – Mother Of Graves
Raw aggressive power is tempered by a meticulously crafted melancholia. That’s what you get when quintet MOTHER OF GRAVES put pen to paper and release an album. Their debut followed by The Periapt Of Absence cemented the band as a standout within the death/doom field. The ability to seamlessly blend the dominance of crashing death metal with an almost romantic edge of melodic based doom catapulted them to top ten spots on AOTY lists and garnered widespread praise and acclaim. Returning now with The Light That Keeps Us, with a foundation secured, MOTHER OF GRAVES seek growth.
Gentle and delicate. That’s how album three begins. Soft piano introduces Wingless Soul; exceedingly evocative it holds rapt attention with its simplicity as it creates a weight that will surely build. Without disappointing that weight drops and guitars, drums and bass drenched in gloom crash to the fore. What is becoming a calling card for MOTHER OF GRAVES is how the shift from the relatively benign for an introduction into a full flight melodic led death metal belter. They execute it flawlessly time and again and this opening track is no different.
Gorgeous melodies interplay with crashing riffs and crushing drumbeats. The pace that the record leads with is perfect for drawing emotional sentiment as well as delivering rapid aggressive charges. For those looking for more bite to the doomier edge, tracks like Eventide Angel and The Silent Weight Of The Stars deliver across all fronts. Here, the subtleties are shrugged aside as the band open the taps and pour visceral emotion, undiluted, through the guttural vocals, snarling guitars and combined with the dominance of the drums produces a sound that leans on the death metal aspects of the bands make-up. However, it is not juxtaposed to the rest of the record. There’s nothing jarring about the variations weaved in this record, more that the band are pushing the label boundaries of the genre and skilfully seek new sonic ideas to convey.
Much of this record is built upon what MOTHER OF GRAVES have previously illustrated in previous albums. They craft highly engaging songs that lead with themes of despair or loss and intertwine soaring melodies and heavy rhythms to deliver a sonic representation if intense emotion. To that end, The Light That Keeps Us stays well within the wheelhouse they’ve built. However, the development of their collective musicianship, songwriting and the overall production of album three makes it stand out as far more than a copy past of tried and tested ideas. The title track, the sorrowful yet surging The Beggar’s Allegory stand alongside the previously mentioned tracks as testament to how impressive MOTHER OF GRAVES are becoming.
Hauntingly mournful. A perfect album for autumn and the sort of record that would inspire wistful tales of love loss, brighter days tinged with sorrow but likewise despair kindled with hope. It ebbs and flows and takes as much influence from gothic feeling as it does from out and out death and doom metal. MOTHER OF GRAVES have delivered another powerful record to their existing catalogue that fits their direction and DNA faultlessly. It may not be breaking new ground in terms of changing their trajectory laid down from the debut album, however it is an excellent example of how a band can grow into their genre. MOTHER OF GRAVES are flourishing in the gloom and producing music of some of the highest quality.
Rating: 9/10
The Light That Keeps Us is set for release on 16th October via Profound Lore Records.
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