Madder Mortem - 2024 - Old Eyes, New Heart
(48:17; Dark Essence Records)
It is a long time since I last heard the band led by siblings Agnete Kirkevaag (vocals) and BP M. Kirkevaag (guitar, vocals), in fact more than 20 years ago when I reviewed ‘All Flesh Is Grass’. I lost track of them after that but when I was offered the opportunity to hear their eighth studio album I jumped at the opportunity. Only drummer Mads Solås is still there from the old days, with the rest of the band now comprising Anders Langberg (guitars) and Tormod L. Moseng (bass). Having not heard the recent releases I cannot say if this is a continuation or not, but whereas the first five albums came out in fairly quick succession there was a gap of seven years to the sixth, and there has been six years between this one and the last.
Classified as a tech/extreme prog metal band, these guys have progressed since their goth metal start as Mystery Tribe, but there is a still a darkness within their souls. This Is not an album which bears being split apart but is designed to be played in a single sitting as the lightness is often totally at odds with what is going on when they really crunch, and these songs would not stand well on their own but are designed to ensure the heaviness is even more so when it hits. Agnete has a wonderfully clear vocal style, can sing sweetly or provide the edge at others, while her brother like to come in over the top with harshness and brutality. Many bands, when they are heavy, stay in that arena, but here we have a band who really understand the need for quiet and harmony to offset the darkness and make the shadows even scarier. There is a gloom and almost doom feel at times, a feeling here is a band who exist in the black and that colour for them is always muted and soon drained away.
There is a quality within this which shines through, and while this is not as immediate as some there is no doubt there is a spark of something special within. I found it did take a few plays for the majesty to become apparent, but this is an album which is truly worth the effort.
Kev Rowland, February 2025
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