IN THIS MOMENT 'Witch'

IN THIS MOMENT
Witch
Better Noise Records

Pain!
Persecution!
Struggle!
And some decent cover choices!

When it comes to scribing soliloquies about redemption, revenge and recovery, LA-based Grammy-nominated metallers IN THIS MOMENT completely sweep a great deal of their competition. Since arriving upon the scene at that moment in 2007 with their debut album Beautiful Tragedy, the band, formed by vocalist Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth, have cast many a spell whilst ascending beyond initial Ozzfest side stage status thanks to their DIY aesthetic – specifically through booking/organizing their own tours – and their vast experimenting cauldron of various genres and subgenres ranging from nu-metal and alternative to modern-sounding pop metal, screamo, hardcore, industrial and even some traces of arena rock.
Now, while titling their latest album Young Sheldon’s First Chemistry Set would initially seem temptingly appropriate given the vast assortment of hypnotic sound concoctions throughout all 11 songs on this disc, there’s a reason why ITM instead went with the less-wordy and more direct title of Witch according to Maria Brink herself: 

“It’s about embracing the duality within — taking pain, persecution, and struggle — and alchemizing them into strength and power. The album reflects both ancient trials and my own journey — where being a ‘witch’ means being a creator, connected to the universe, manifesting my own reality.”

Plus, the title fits perfectly on the album cover – especially with the lower-case “t” in the middle resembling a cross pointing down upon what appears to be a ritualistic offering in the form of a female sacrifice clothed only in a see-through sheet of sorts. Western Union couldn’t have sent a more straightforward message than what this album’s cover alone already implies.

With an ambitious gathering of both guest collaborators and ear-catching choice of cover versions, Witch is the sound of IN THIS MOMENT fully arriving into their own moment. Opening number “Shame” is the band in full rage mode while “I Want 2 Believe”, featuring guest vocals courtesy of DAYSEEKER frontman Rory Rodriguez, showcases the band firmly entrenched in the sounds of the current metalcore scene and yielding the perfect amount of stage territory to highlight both Maria’s usurping cinematic vocals and Rory’s gritty outsiding dialogue. Speaking of guest appearances, I’m not entirely convinced that “Sleeping With The Enemy” is either a stellar example of Maria’s vocal talents doubling as two singers in the studio or if it’s a collaboration with an uncredited vocalist. It might be the sudden accent-sounding switch somewhere in the middle of the song that’s giving off that vibe from that unreleased heavy metal album that RIHANNA wanted to record about 15 years ago but was advised by her record label not to over a fear of losing her core fanbase. Not saying that the song itself is bad, but the preceding numbers “Crawl” and “Into The Dark” are more genuine-sounding. 

Getting to the first of three covers on Witch, ITM’s cover of the POLICE’s “Wrapped Around Your Finger” is nothing short of *ahem* arresting thanks to Maria’s subtle yet eggshell-walking aura of obscure danger resonating in her voice. Backing vocals courtesy of Australian dancecore songstress KIM DRACULA also help with boosting the sinister vibe of the song that would make Sting’s own libido even more tantric. She also stays around and gives the rumbling number “Heretic” some heavy goth feels in the CRADLE OF FILTH/BUTCHER BABIES vein. And, honestly, if KIM DRACULA is also the actual backing vocalist on the aforementioned average-sounding “Sleeping With The Enemy”, “Heretic” completely makes up for that performance hundredfold. That said, I wish I could give similar praise to ITM’s cover of “Another Brick In The Wall” featuring some background vocal effects by KAT VON D. Compared to the haunting performance of “Wrapped Around Your Finger”, the oft-covered PINK FLOYD classic revamped for a by-the-numbers-sounding EDM moment despite everyone’s best efforts, just sounds like it’s simply….there, especially after following a more well-rounded performance of more stronger-sounding original numbers like the panoramic-sounding “Father” and the driving hypnotic industrial jaunt of “Without Me There’s No You” while sandwiched on the other end by the fully enduring ambience of “Something I Can Never Have”. The third cover and closing track on Witch, Maria brings the proverbial right tool for the job on this lengthy yet deep-sounding NINE INCH NAILS cut with a simple piano-laden performance that surreptitiously draws in the listener as close as it can before quietly disappearing into the background. It’s sonically and lyrically devious and misleading, but it’s also respecting the title. 

It’s big-sounding, it’s black and it’s badass in parts, and Witch is a decent collection of chants worthy of IN THIS MOMENT’s catalogue for a good hour-long spell, but one can’t help either but think that the album could have used a little more will and “which” in the in-between. 

4.0 Out Of 5.0

https://inthismomentofficial.com/en-ca
https://www.facebook.com/officialinthismoment
https://x.com/officialitm
https://www.instagram.com/inthismomentofficial