ALBUM REVIEW: The Ocean – Fostermother
Hailing from Houston, Texas, FOSTERMOTHER are relatively new on the doom and stoner scene but their impact has been significant. Formed in 2019 as the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Travis Weatherred, over the last four years the band have gone from strength to strength with the recruitment of Stephen Griffin and Jason Motamedi. By bringing together ominous riffs and moody atmospherics, FOSTERMOTHER have crafted a doom/stoner sound that is brooding, moody and deeply reflective. With their well received might and melodic self titled debut laying the fuzzy, riff-heavy foundations, the band now proceed into darker realms with their sophomore album The Ocean.
The Ocean deals with the often weighty subject of battling the great black dog of depression and the isolation that comes with it. Alongside this introspective look at isolation, the album also speaks to individuals who would, without hesitation, trade in everything and everyone they had in the pursuit of their own self-interest, whilst simultaneously casting a judging eye upon others. The negativity of these behaviours has a significant impact on society as a whole. With the heavy emotions associated with these concepts intermingling with dark and melancholic riffs, there comes an inherent intensity that is all encompassing.
This sonic representation of the isolation that is currently engulfing our societies is one that brings about deep self-reflection, as you examine your own coping mechanisms and behaviours. The two-way lyrical approach that FOSTERMOTHER have undertaken looks at depression as the inability to take care of yourself and the inner drive to move past it by seeking a form of redemption and new motivations. Accompanying this concept are some weighty riffs that provide a hefty blend of aggression, eeriness and ominous melancholy. Backed by sparse but grooving beats, you can feel the inner struggle of processing the isolation that seems to envelope all existence. This album’s tracks are set up like a Dante-esque story, each song taking you to a new level of the harrowing despair contained in its subject matter.
The songs themselves have a clearly rooted influence from doom legends BLACK SABBATH and old school stoner, but FOSTERMOTHER fashion it into their own distinct sound, amplifying the darkness and slowing the pace so that every chord and note carries its own devastating sonic punch. The band also make use of discord, selecting jarring chords in some areas to add significant tension to the atmosphere. The ominous introduction to the album on opening track Sunday supports this, as the haunting lead melody weaves its way through the song like a serpent. The brief moment of calm in Hedonist brings about a sense of anxiety that comes from isolation, even though nothing is happening your mind is still vibrating on different levels before launching back into a rapturous chorus with church organ keyboards underneath the fuzz.
Unholiest Of Days has the most old school metal feel, with its galloping grooves morphing into sinister sounding, single note tremolo riffs and back again. Album closer Solitude is a hulking Goliath of a song that uses sparsity to drive home the point of the cold darkness you experience whilst in isolation. Its eerie quieter section makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up before the band launch back into a ponderous, fuzzy haze of heavy bass riffs and a lofty guitar solo.
Considering The Ocean as a whole entity, FOSTERMOTHER have not shied away from taking you down the darkest alleys of the human soul. Stripping back some of the sound they established on their self-titled album in aid of capturing something more primal and dark has worked considerably well. The Ocean is provocative in an unnervingly calm way, and as it rummages through your soul you cannot help but feel every ounce of isolation induced gloom.
Rating: 7/10
The Ocean is set for release on February 18th via Ripple Music.
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