Mother of Graves is coming back to life with their debut album.
After a first EP in 2021, Brandon Howe (vocals/keyboards, Obscene, Summon the Destroyer), Chris Morrison (guitar, Harakiri), Ben Sandman (guitar, Harakiri), Corey Clark (bass) and Don Curtis (drums) announce the release of Where The Shadows Adorn on Wise Blood Records, with an artwork by Paolo Girardi (ACOD, Burial, Creeping Fear, Firespawn, Inquisition… ) and a mastering by Dan Swanö (Asphyx, Apophis, Bloodbath, Dark Funeral, Dissection, Hypocrisy).
Where the Shadows Adorn, the eponymous track, opens the album with a melancholic keyboard which will eventually call for a heavier rhythmic and massive vocals without forgetting heady melodies. Drums become more intense before giving way to silence, then to Rain, a slower composition which lets the soaring harmonics express themselves under this wave of haunting sounds. The band will allow us a few moments of softer respite before giving way to Tears Like Wine and its oppressive melancholy. The bewitching leads also know how to make quieter keyboards parts speak, then The Emptiness Of Eyes offers us rawer harmonics. The vocal parts also become more aggressive and darker, but the martial sounds leave us with the quietness of Of Solitude And Stone which makes us go back to the style’s most intense roots. The haunting break allows a moment of respite, then intensity slowly resurfaces with saturation, followed by the rhythmic which becomes more energetic. The break returns to quietness, then the last chorus takes us to Ghost In The Twilight and its warlike influences which let the most haunting sounds come back in leads. The heavy rhythmic allows heavy vocals to find a dark basis to spread their strength, while The Caliginous Voice, the last track, allows the softer and more melodic tones to find their way between rougher influences to close the album.
Mother of Graves continues its ascent into darkness to mix melancholy and raw strength. The influences of Where The Shadows Adorn can be found in the style’s pioneers, but the band brings its heavy and effective touch.
80/100