ALBUM REVIEW: Mother Of Red Light – METH.

There’s an element of psychotic fragility about METH. that makes them one of the more interesting propositions that hardcore has come across in quite some time. To nail them down to simply one genre is a misrepresentation of what this band are in itself though, this is a musically unhinged six piece that sound like they’re one minor inconvenience away from a mental breakdown: it’s oddly encapsulating.

The likelihood is that the band’s debut full length record Mother Of Red Light would be your first exposure to the twelve legged Chicago crew, and if it is, this is baptism by fire. Starting off as the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Seb Alvarez, here METH. morph into a whole new beast entirely, one that seems hellbent on starting a riot.

Ominous, dark, and scathing: Mother Of Red Light is legitimately difficult to sit through in its entirety. This is less to do with its lack of musical quality, and more to do with its absolute relentless ferocity though. Whether it’s the haunting, whispered spoken word that protrudes in the background of Psalm Of Life, or the wincing screeches that blast their way through 11 minute closer The Walls, They Whisper – this is a level of heavy music you’re unlikely to have come across before.

Part of the charm of METH. is that their ‘for fans of’ section is almost impossible to pin down. Her Womb Lays Still has the vocal tears of CONVERGE‘s Jacob Bannon while Inbred possesses the kind of plodding, poised guitar’s you’d stumble across in a KING 810 record. The variety in darkness here almost makes Mother Of Red Light more of a musical experience as opposed to six musician’s musical storytelling, maybe that’s the whole point.

It’s a record that does manage to dig its hooks underneath the surface though. The way Swallowed Conscience flickers from frenetic, speed riffs to solemn, spoken word phrases of anguish is captivating. There’s a level of unpredictability that permeates through the entirety of Mother Of Red Light that makes this record a mathcore thrill ride when it all lands in the right areas. Though certainly not an album for the weak at heart – METH. have created something here that will absolutely capture the imagination of some, and it’s not naive to foresee the six piece attaining somewhat of a cult following from here on out.

You may well have heard furious, blood stained mathcore meets hardcore previously – but you won’t have ever stumbled across anything quite as unhinged as Mother Of Red Light before. This fury laden nightmare is a picturesque tale of how music can be the most expressive art form that exists. Undoubtedly too brazen a listen for some, but by the same token perfectly harrowing for others, METH. have landed with a record here that is ultimately a challenge to do descriptive justice to, just listen for yourself. Side note: keep the lights on.

Rating: 7/10

Mother Of Red Light is set for release August 23rd via Prosthetic Records. 

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