Desiderata

Continuing their bizarre evolution while remaining a tight and cognizant unit, Madder Mortem pick up the pace, turn up the Groove-O-Meter another notch and shed most of what remained of their doom-influenced roots.That isn't to say that they've disposed of what made them glorious due to ill-advised decision making because this band, unlike most, has a capability to morph and twist genres to suit their needs and dish out something seriously tasty. Even nu-metal. It's almost astonishing that they can utilize aspects of a style I've never been a fan of and make it work by incorporating progressive textures into their song structures, and Agnete's fervid impassioned vocals assert themselves as far removed from "ill posturing" as they are from "ethereal gothic".

Continuing on with the sound they developed first on All Flesh Is Grass, the guitars are down-tuned and roar with a pulverizing tone, but leave enough room for the bass to be heard beneath the clamor. Drums this time around seem a just a bit further back with less sharpness on the snare, but remain perfectly audible to propel the grooving rhythms. That's not to say this is an actual groove metal album by any direct definition, as Madder Mortem's adventurous nature offers a wide assortment of stylistics, and without the need of keyboards or lavish embellishments.

The most striking and perhaps best confirmation of the album's diversity is "Hangman". Essentially a slow 'after-hours club' jazz number, the song eventually reveals its true nature once it suddenly explodes with sheer heaviness thanks to that impenetrably beastly guitar. An exceptional track, it's also aided by Agnete's shifting of gears from quietly sultry to violently desperate. I notice she gets some flack for occasionally warbling somewhat off key during her more histrionic moments, but the unabashed passion in her delivery more than compensates by my estimation, and not just concerning this particular song. I feel as if she knows what she's doing, purposefully sacrificing technically astute pitch for emotion, and it absolutely works.

"Hangman" isn't some lone glowing ember in a pile of charcoal, as an array of sonic shifts flesh out this release. From the haunting tribal psychedelia of "Cold Stone" to the borderline thrash of "Plague on this Land", Desiderata never succumbs to repetition, even regarding tracks which brandish nu-metal aspects. As for those cuts, surprisingly enough I dig them, especially "M For Malice" which grooves like a son of a bitch, in a good way. Fuck, the mighty Sabbath themselves were no strangers to this vibe, as personal favorites "The Wizard" and "Supernaunt" can attest, and here Madder Mortem boogie down without acting like a posse of homeboys. Their prior effort Deadlands had its share of groove as well, but here it's better incorporated into their overall sound, rather than a couple of sore thumbs that stood out from the rest of the material.

I cautiously delved into this release, sort of expecting some level of decline in quality as I had heard that the evolution of the band's persona by this time might not be as much to my liking, but despite not possessing something that reaches the heights of Deadlands' incredible "Silverspine", I find myself convinced that, as a whole, Desiderata is an improvement. Yeah, it's grooves a bit more than most metal I enjoy, but fuck it, this shit is tight! And heavy...damn is it heavy.

The effort Desiderata by Madder Mortem is certainly an interesting one that mixes up three different musical into one jambalaya of music; gothic metal with a touch of grunge and sections that border on nü metal. Like what happened with a certain early album made by The Gathering with 4 different vocalists, it was not about the music itself, but the ideas behind it and what it represents to music. And clearly, the idea was to create a “tough” female-fronted band without the sexuality that seems to come along with it in the more popular bands.

There’s a couple of things you’ll notice upon first listen in this album: Agnete’s grungey/clean vocal style mix and the heavy guitars, both of which are usually non-existent in the gothic metal genre. They work well together on the first track, My Name Is Silence. This blend seemed to work fine, but then you dwell deeper and things change.

You get deeper into the album, and you notice the music starts to get weak. The vocal arrangements, at times, are laughable, as well as the growls on M for Malice, and the guitars and drums make the nü metal vibe come out stronger; it doesn’t work in their favour from here on in. You could tell that Agnete has not been vocally trained, and though it works to her favour in Hangman with the cracking of her voice in one big emotional explosion, it mostly works against her. I swear, I wanted to cringe during Evasions, because at one point, the vocal arrangements were just all wrong. And then there’s the nü metal aspects… this mostly doesn’t work.

On a positive note, let’s get to the crunchy guitars. They work in good harmony alongside the vocals, rather than the vocals empowering them or them empowering the vocals. Okay, well sometimes, they do empower the vocals. However, I don’t feel it’s a bad thing: I have no beef with the guitars, because I think that they were the best part of this album. You’ll hear the magic working on My Name Is Silence, Hypnos, and Cold Stone.

Since the drums weren’t something that felt interesting or new, we’ll skip them and get to my advice for Madder Mortem: they need to ditch the borderline nü metal grooves, unless they plan on using it in the cool way they did with Hypnos, skip the growls, improve them, or hire a new growler, and keep making more albums. I feel they're onto something, but haven’t quite fully grasped it themselves.

Madder Mortem are a tragically obscure band from Norway playing a highly original form of gothic metal. What has most likely held MM back has been this tag, as they are not at all like the typical gothic metal band. The "gothic" label most likely comes from the band's penchant for writing darker material, as well as the female vocals. However, the riffs are catchy and groovy (althougth some, particularly on previous album "Deadlands" bordered on nu-metal groove), and Agnete M. Kirkevaag's vocals are powerful and, thankfully, not operatic at all. Whereas most gothic metal is wimpy and focused more on keyboards than actual riffs, MM are the opposite. But fear not, for there is still plenty of atmosphere on this record, which may actually be MM's strongest release to date.

Opener "My Name Is Silence" opens the album with a fast, catchy riff and the ever-amazing vocals of Ms. Kirkevaag. At just over 3 minutes, it is the shortest song on the album, apart from the interlude "Dystopia," but it is definitely an eye-catcher (ear-catcher?). Agnete, while not the most technically proficient of vocalists, exudes power and emotion through every word. She has definitely become more confident throughout the band's career, and now is a key component in the MM sound.

"Desiderata" covers a wide range of tempos and moods throughout the album, and this variety is what helps keep the album from getting boring. Whether playing slower, ballad-esque songs ("Evasions" or closer, "Hangman") or faster, more crushing songs ("M For Malice", with the heaviest chorus of the album), MM are masters of their craft. MM can also throw some great riffs out...witness the 2:18 in "Plague on This Land" for pure metallic bliss.

While it is true that much of the draw of MM is Agnete's vocals, the rest of the band is quite skilled as well. Guitar riffs alternate between quiet, highly melodic, and brutally heavy, and the drumming is quite punchy as well. The production is amazing, a common feature on gothic albums, with Agnete's vocals nice and upfront, with both guitars and drums nice and clear. The guitar tone is quite intriguing, particularly in the more melodic moments. and you can even hear the bass every now and then!

An adventurous album from an adventurous band, "Desiderata" should not be missed.

Madder Mortem were, at one point, a gothic metal band with doomy tendencies... and a damn good one. While some semblance of that might still be found on Desiderata if one were to listen hard enough, the band has - for better or worse - sacrificed the whole idea in lieu of a faster, heavier, and more metallic deal. Fortunately, this has mostly worked out in their favor. Massive emphasis has been placed on mood shifts and dynamics, and the songwriting has taken a turn to the progressive end of the spectrum, making for a considerably diverse and satisfying listen.

For those thinking that Madder Mortem have turned to writing 20 minute songs with extended solo jams and synthesizer wars - fear not. Though the presentation has become somewhat more upbeat and the arrangements have gotten more complex, the atmosphere remains quite dark and the band doesn't rely on any kind of instrumental wizardry to impress the listener so much as they employ driving riffs, pounding drums, prominent bass lines, and a magnificent sense of pathos to simply crush the listener underneath waves of pure energy. That isn't to say that there's nothing impressive from an instrumental standpoint here - the playing is quite accomplished, and the drums especially deserve special mention. The guy knows how to keep a song flowing while maintaining an expansive sense of dynamics and changing up the rhythmic backbone enough to keep the mood from stagnating. The guitars are riff-heavy, and the riffs are deep, brooding, and focus more on impact than speed. The production complements all of this incredibly well - the sound is bottom-heavy, warm, and all instruments have plenty of room to breathe.

Stylistically, the album takes various twists and turns between songs, and often within songs... it's rare that the listener ends in quite the same place where he began. The almost punk'ish opener "My Name is Silence"; the vocal-centric and haunting "Dystopia"; the gloomy, at times nightmarish, at times dreamy instability of "Changeling"; the atmospheric darkwave feel of "Cold Stone" which transforms halfway through into a hypnotic tribal anthem; or the rather epic feel of the title track... it's a ride.

Of particular note are the vocals of Agnete Kirkevaag. While she isn't quite endowed with angelic chords the likes of, say, Floor Jansen, she more than makes up for it with sheer emotional power and empathy. Her whispers instill fear and doubt, her screams reek of lunacy, and her soft singing is warm and welcoming. There are several moments where her voice seems to hit a breaking point, and it is these moments that add the most power to the music. More specifically, her performance on the closing track "Hangman", where the listener is given a taste of what's probably one of the most sincere explosions of unbridled emotion I've ever heard out of a vocalist. Intense moment, indeed.

This definitely is not an album to be missed for those who enjoy female-fronted metal.