Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for In This Moment - Godmode (2023)
In This Moment know how to reinvent the modern metal wheel. Each album is different in sound so their fanbase doesn't get tired of them easily. This alt-metal group, founded by Chris Howorth and Maria Brink, have gone further down the Marilyn Manson/Nine Inch Nails-infused industrial metal rabbit hole with their new album Godmode!
After some slight hints in their 6th album Ritual, their next one Mother began to push the band's industrial side up front, creating strong anthems like their girl-power anthem of a Queen cover plus a few weak links. Although Godmode can have earlier fans cringe in dread, here the band refresh their sound into something simpler and more lively. The songs sound bolder and more organic, and Brink sounds like a true modern metal goddess.
The opening title track already hints at that return to their heavier feel. "The Purge" is another powerful highlight! I can hear quite a similar vibe to the more electronic material of Bring Me the Horizon and Motionless in White. The lyrics are quite eerie and fit well with the demonic-ish music. Maria Brink is quite impressive at making a cover of "Army of Me", a Bjork classic, though I prefer the covers from their previous two albums. Continuing to test out different styles, we have the djent-dance track "Sacrifice" that shows more clarity in the album than their previous few ones.
Brink's singing in "Skyburner" sounds a bit drunken, but there are good driving riffs. However, she can really scream in the verses of "Sanctify Me". Then "Everything Starts and Ends with You" continues to show the band adopting more electronic influences than before. It certainly can work for a video game of heavenly universal connection.
As usual, the album has a duet in "Damaged", with Ice Nine Kills vocalist Spencer Charnas. However, the interplay comes out a bit weird. It just isn't as balanced as that duet with the Ded vocalist in the previous album Mother. "Fate Bringer" has more of the earlier dance beat which, despite being unsettling, flows well. "I Would Die for You" is an epic ballad originally in the soundtrack for John Wick: Chapter 4. It reaches a hysterical climax that has really paid off.
All in all, In This Moment have truly revived what made them spectacular. With solid songs, all having Brink's godly and ungodly singing, Godmode has truly proven what the band has in store as the modern metal legends they are today!
Favorites: "Godmode", "The Purge", "Sanctify Me", "Everything Starts and Ends with You", "I Would Die for You"