In This Moment - Blood
CD Info
2012
Century Media
14 Tracks
English Lyrics
In the short five years since In This Moment released their 2007 debut, Beautiful Tragedy, the band has skyrocketed to fame in the American metal scene. But with more fame comes more criticism, and this band in particular has been the target of much debate, with many people accusing Maria and the boys of selling their band solely on sex appeal. And though there may be a number of fans drawn in by Maria’s looks (let’s face it, she’s gorgeous), there’s no doubt the band has talent and their dynamic frontwoman is more than another pair of breasts.
The band’s fourth record, Blood, sees the band evolving yet again. The great thing about In This Moment is that each album sounds completely different from one another. While Beautiful Tragedy featured a raw, emotional metalcore sound, the second album The Dream gave us a much more polished, melodic band drawing influences from 80’s rock and metal with top-notch production. The band’s third long-player A Star-Crossed Wasteland combined elements from the last two albums and added even more heaviness. That album is still among my top five records of all time, with its great songwriting, intriguing concept, and Maria’s best and most versatile performance to date. So what can we expect from Blood, and will it live up to the band’s previous album?
What we see here is a step back to the raw side of In This Moment, who give us a much darker, angrier, dirtier, more emotional and personal album filled with an aggression we haven’t yet seen from Maria. At the same time, Blood retains the stellar production of the last two albums, with some interesting mixing that adds to the overall atmosphere of the album. This new sound is evident from the first notes of the atmospheric, haunting intro "Rise With Me" to the title track "Blood," which sees the band embracing it’s dirtier, more sinful side with Maria singing in the chorus "Blood blood blood pour mud through my veins / Shut your dirty dirty mouth I’m not that easy / Blood blood blood pour mud through my veins / I’m a dirty dirty girl I want it filthy." This theme continues on "Adrenalize," a song that’s even more blatantly sexual but with an energy that’s worthy of its title. Though the tracks above might seem to prove the point the critics make about this band, the next track "Whore" takes the criticism and throws it right back in their face, addressing the hypocrisy of many of the sexist comments directed at Maria. The chorus sums this up perfectly: "I am the dirt you created / I am your sinner I am your whore / But let me tell you something baby / You love me for everything you hate me for."
This aggression reappears throughout the album, with songs like "You’re Gonna Listen," a rockin’ track that says everything you’ve ever wanted to say to those people who assume things without knowing anything about you, "Comanche," another potential live hit with its epic, anthemic chorus, and the club-hit-gone-wrong (in a good way) "Beast Within." Another recurring theme on this record is the idea of rebirth, reflecting events within the band preceding the writing of this album, as evidenced by tracks like "From the Ashes" and "The Blood Legion." The album ends with haunting and beautiful "11:11," which sees Maria singing over layers of her own vocals and the sound of a beating heart, summing up the album’s themes of rebirth and carpe diem.
As usual, Maria is the highlight of the album. I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that she really is one of the most versatile singers in the industry, and I’ve yet to hear any vocalist convey emotion like she does. Blood is no exception, and here we see even more sides to Maria’s vocals as she flawlessly switches between vulnerable and powerful clean vocals to some of the most aggressive screaming I’ve ever heard. Of course, the instrumentals here are just as strong and aggressive, with the band’s co-founder Chris Howorth shredding it on the lead guitar, and new members Travis Johnson, Randy Weitzel, and Tom Hane giving it their all on the bass, rhythm guitar, and drums respectively.
While I still can’t decide whether it’s better than A Star-Crossed Wasteland, Blood is most certainly a strong record. And while most bands in today’s music world release albums that are just collections of songs in a similar style, In This Moment really understand the art of the album, creating themes and stories that tie the songs together with each other and with the artwork to make one cohesive product, and this is why I consider them one of the my absolute favorite bands.
Standout tracks include, well, pretty much all of them. Fans of A Star-Crossed Wasteland will love this, and I encourage those who preferred Beautiful Tragedy or The Dream to really give this record a listen before putting it aside.
9 / 10
