Album is slow but upbeat mind-dazzler
Los Angeles alternative metal band In This Moment has been in the industry for two decades. And following a three-year break, the band is back with their ninth studio album, Witch. Now, 2023’s Godmode was inspired by invincibility in video games, but Witch takes on a whole different topic because it was inspired by vocalist Maria Brink‘s personal struggles. As a whole, this 11-track compilation is filled with powerful, angsty, deep human emotions and embraces femininity.
The opening tune, “Shame” kicks things off with a thrilling guitar rip that roars powerful notes, while the rest of the band brings their iconic alternative metal sound as Brink’s commanding vocal performance dominates the background with sheer anger. On another note, “I Want To Believe” is loud but is a bit slower in comparison, as the music is just a very average ditty that has no real in-your-face musical substance that can encourage listeners to head bang along. But having DaySeeker as a guest does give this a solid punk of insanity.
Now, “Crawl” goes back to In This Moment’s iconic and classic sound with how the band adds a stunning electronic-based melody into the mix that works well with the stunning synthesizers. Also, the whole chorus section matches a recent musical style from metal band Bad Omens. This is a very amusing aspect of the album. Another great composition is “Into The Dark” and even better, it leans heavily into a more electronic vibe. Although the number is a whole four minutes and 25 seconds, it is worth listening to thanks to the beautiful synthesizers.
On another note, some albums come with surprises and the curveball on Witch is a cover of Pink Floyd’s ditty “Another Brick In The Wall”, which adds an incredibly creepy and beautiful haunting metal taste to an already iconic track with production courtesy of Kat Von D’s epic guitar playing. As a whole, the album shows how much more In This Moment needs to grow musically, but the band’s Hard hitters “Crawl” and their reimagining of the iconic “Another Brick In The Wall” do manage to redeem things. And although With doesn’t hit the spot, the band has something to prove, which is dynamic creativity.
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