After 18 years of solid grind, In This Moment have reached a pivotal stage. Led by singer and visionary and witchy high priestess, Maria Brink, the LA quintet’s career can be best described as a slow burn. They’ve evolved their sound from melodic metalcore with their debut, Beautiful Tragedy, to a vivid metal stomp, before stepping things up on 2017’s bluesy, occult-themed Ritual. Since then, they’ve continued to expand their sonic palette and climb into bigger venues – their last album, 2020’s Mother, deftly balanced the light and the dark and saw their already mesmerising live shows evolve into full-blown, eye-popping performance art.
With Godmode, In This Moment are ready to take the next step. Hardened by a glint of industrial metal and Nine Inch Nails- inspired electronics on Sacrifice, the throbbing title track and an electro- goth cover of Björk’s Army Of Me, these songs are amongst the band’s heaviest to date: crisp, razor-sharp, and buoyed by memorable, slick choruses. Maria has become one of metal’s most unique, distinctive vocalists, and she’s introduced a new dimension to her voice with every album.
Matters are elevated from the get-go on lead single The Purge, where, following an addictive verse and chorus that see her show off her ability to switch between gravel-toned and saccharine sweet, she lets rip a scream that lasts for a lung-shredding 26 seconds. Later, on Skyburner, she’s sighing wistfully and floating in the stars on a Deftones-ian chorus, while she works herself into a rage on Damaged, with guest vocalist Ice Nine Kills’ Spencer Charnas slotting in perfectly among eerie keys and sinister guitar lines.
Anyone who’s been paying attention knows that, for some time, In This Moment have had the live show and back catalogue to grant them access to metal’s top tier. If there’s any justice in the world, Godmode will be the album that finally sees them break down the door.
Godmode is out this Friday, October 27
