Madder Mortem
Desiderata

Good News: Madder Mortem are back.

They move from Century Media to Peaceville Records, and undergo yet another lineup change, with the founders remaining, siblings Agnete (singer) and LP Kirkevaag (guitar) along with drummer Mads Solås, while the roles of second guitar and bass are replaced by two semi-unknowns: Tormod Langsen Moseng and Odd Eivind, essentially old friends.

Forget the sweet and pure voice of a gothic singer, forget the melodic and melancholic atmospheres or majestic keyboard inserts that propagate throughout the song, if you're a fan of that type, stop reading here. Yes, because M. M. experiment: there's little gothic here, we do nu-metal, we do thrash, and even Jazz refractions, we cite Opeth, Lacuna Coil, Katatonia. The true protagonist of the disc is the singer Agnete M. Kirkevaag who manages to use her vocal performance in a sublime manner: sometimes seductive and magical, sometimes angry and harsh.

It starts with "My name is Silence", a decidedly nervous and rough song with a melodic chorus, a song that might seem a bit rhythmically senseless in the verse, but the qualities are there and will be heard, I'm talking about "Evasions", the excellent components open in nu-metal and leave us to Agnete's dreamy voice accompanied by instrumental emotion. "Plague On This Land": a mix of Epic, thrash, and nu-metal played wisely with a finale worthy of Machine Head!. A moment of relaxation arrives in "Dystopia", a small song that once again highlights Agnete's vocal talents. "M for Malice" is an example of quality that demonstrates how Madder Mortem skillfully play nu and mix it with splashes of malice that accompany the grand and ingenious chorus. "The Flood To Come", the best-executed track of the CD, is again nu-metal and gothic, alternating moments of aggression from the new metal with the musical innocence of goth.

A great thrash performance in "Changeling", a track that even in the end gives a taste of Death metal and the thought that M.M. know how to do their duty in whatever "Metal" genre they want to explore. "Cold Stone" is an entirely melodic and moving song: electric six-string, bass, and Angra cradle us in the sublime and gothic world of M.M., with the finale featuring great use of drums and a Gregorian chorus that adds the final touch of majesty to the work. Confused personality in "Sedition" and in the Title Track "Desiderata". Note the last track "Hangman", the longest track of the CD and the only song where the jazz-blues influence characterizing M.M. can be heard in its entirety, and then again nu-metal.

Madder Mortem fans will quickly fall in love with this CD, and for those wanting to approach this band, I hope this review piqued someone's curiosity. Listen closely, and you'll notice how this Norwegian group mixes goth with nu, thrash, death, and jazz influences in an original way. Novelty.