The Norwegians Madder Mortem have been around since 1993 and released seven albums between 1999 and 2018, but I must admit that I only ever heard their name so far, without even knowing what style of Metal they were playing.
Good preconditions to be seriously surprised on first listen in the car, after only briefly flying over the promotion sheet from Dark Essence Records before and reading "For fans of: Neurosis, Cult of Luna, Solefald, Meshuggah". Not wholly wrong, but still pretty misleading.
MADDER MORTEM - Old Eyes, New Heart (CD) (2024)
Maybe that was a selling point accidentally copied from another release? Because while all those comparisons seem reasonable at some point for one passage here, another there, they really set up completely different expectations and made me doubt I had put in the right disc, when the opener "Coming From The Dark" not only began as a Progressive Metal banger with one part reminding me of a certain Dream Theater bridge, but also surprised me with female lead vocals from the absolute powerhouse Agnete M. Kirkevaad. Very foreboding, but also catchy. The track establishes a Dark Rock atmosphere as well as modern breakdown riffs and the growling backing vocals of Agnete's brother (and guitar player) BP M. Kirkevaag as later recurring elements of the album.
But before that we have the completely different "On Guard", which basically is a super straight Blues song on that shuffle groove with immediately throws your mind towards Allanah Myles' "Black Velvet".
Track three "Master Tongue" then finally features the screaming Post Metal outburst I would have expected in the first place. It also raises the question whether Metal bands are already allowed to gang-shout "Master! Master!" only thirty-eight years after Metallica, or if it's still too soon.
As I stare at "The Head That Wears The Crown", which features lighter vocal melodies in a style that would fit Ayreon, I begin to understand what determines the range of "Old Eyes, New Heart": Madder Mortem simply utilize every shape of modern and traditional, Progressive and rather atmospheric Metal and Dark Rock, which the lead singer can sell. And that is a lot, since Agnete 's voice really has a bit of everything, beginning with a super strong Heavy Metal belt which is very raw and grounded, but can rise high and go to more delicate places without losing its power. I'm surely not the greatest fan of Nightwish, but this singer can confidently be mentioned in the same breath as Floor Jansen.
Or maybe Amaya "Maud The Moth" López-Carromero. Speaking of her...
Ultimately the fluid stylistic mix which unfolds on this album is comparable to what bands like Healthyliving or Dool are doing, which includes the persistence with which some of these tracks clench themselves into your ear and won't let go again. Damn, how great for example is "Things I'll Never Do", which dynamically showcases everything this group is capable of? I love those fast and aggressive, but at the same time strangely laid-back verses!
One really cannot overstate how much the vocal performance ties this album together. No matter how great the spectacle around the singer is, her emotions always feel genuine and relatable.
Another thing however is just the songwriting, which kind of gives me the impression of what a band like Jinjer could do with more focus on the big picture instead of gimmicks. The magic word is taste. Some of this stuff, especially when it goes into the directions of Prog Metal, Djent-ish parts or what most of the general public would picture as "female-fronted Metal", could easily go wrong if you played it just a little bit different.
It's mainly Madder Mortem's talent to strongly convey light and dark moods, but strictly avoiding kitsch while doing so, which makes everything work.
Yes, this album has immensly grown on me and I urge you to take a listen at ideally a couple of its tracks, since one isn't really enough for a proper impression. "Old Eyes, New Heart" comes out this Friday.
But before that we have the completely different "On Guard", which basically is a super straight Blues song on that shuffle groove with immediately throws your mind towards Allanah Myles' "Black Velvet".
Track three "Master Tongue" then finally features the screaming Post Metal outburst I would have expected in the first place. It also raises the question whether Metal bands are already allowed to gang-shout "Master! Master!" only thirty-eight years after Metallica, or if it's still too soon.
As I stare at "The Head That Wears The Crown", which features lighter vocal melodies in a style that would fit Ayreon, I begin to understand what determines the range of "Old Eyes, New Heart": Madder Mortem simply utilize every shape of modern and traditional, Progressive and rather atmospheric Metal and Dark Rock, which the lead singer can sell. And that is a lot, since Agnete 's voice really has a bit of everything, beginning with a super strong Heavy Metal belt which is very raw and grounded, but can rise high and go to more delicate places without losing its power. I'm surely not the greatest fan of Nightwish, but this singer can confidently be mentioned in the same breath as Floor Jansen.
Or maybe Amaya "Maud The Moth" López-Carromero. Speaking of her...
Ultimately the fluid stylistic mix which unfolds on this album is comparable to what bands like Healthyliving or Dool are doing, which includes the persistence with which some of these tracks clench themselves into your ear and won't let go again. Damn, how great for example is "Things I'll Never Do", which dynamically showcases everything this group is capable of? I love those fast and aggressive, but at the same time strangely laid-back verses!
One really cannot overstate how much the vocal performance ties this album together. No matter how great the spectacle around the singer is, her emotions always feel genuine and relatable.
Another thing however is just the songwriting, which kind of gives me the impression of what a band like Jinjer could do with more focus on the big picture instead of gimmicks. The magic word is taste. Some of this stuff, especially when it goes into the directions of Prog Metal, Djent-ish parts or what most of the general public would picture as "female-fronted Metal", could easily go wrong if you played it just a little bit different.
It's mainly Madder Mortem's talent to strongly convey light and dark moods, but strictly avoiding kitsch while doing so, which makes everything work.
Yes, this album has immensly grown on me and I urge you to take a listen at ideally a couple of its tracks, since one isn't really enough for a proper impression. "Old Eyes, New Heart" comes out this Friday.
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