''Mother'' is the seventh studio album by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
In This Moment
In This Moment is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth in 2005. They found drummer Jeff Fabb and started the band as Dying Star. Unhappy with their musical direction, they ...
. It was released on March 27, 2020, by
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
and
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
and was produced by
Kevin Churko
Kevin Gregory Churko (born 19 January 1968) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Hinder, Modern Science, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, In This M ...
and
Kane Churko
Kane Gregory Churko (born January 20, 1986) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer, songwriter and musician best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Cory Marks, Modern Science (band), Modern Science, Five F ...
.
Background and recording
On October 14, 2018, Chris Howorth posted a photo on his
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
page stating that the band was working on their seventh album. On November 12, a short video with flickering and revolving text bearing the word "Mother" was uploaded to the band's official Instagram.
On February 17, 2019,
Maria Brink
Maria Brink (born December 18, 1977) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the frontwoman of the metal band The band has gone on to release seven studio albums and receive four nominations, two from Alternative Press Music Awards, ...
posted a short video of herself heading to The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas. A few days later, on February 24, Brink posted another video of the band working in the studio. Recording for the album was completed by the spring of 2019.
Release and promotion
A headlining spring tour was kicked off on May 3, 2019, with a brand-new show which ties into the theme of the new record, "Mother", tentatively scheduled for release in fall 2019. On March 25,
Disturbed
Disturbed may refer to:
Books
* ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author)
Film and TV
* ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell
* "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs''
* "The Disturbed", a 20 ...
announced a summer tour, with In This Moment to open for the second half of the tour. The tour also saw the premiere of three songs from the upcoming album including "Legacy" and "As Above, So Below". Throughout the Fall of 2019, the band embarked on a headlining tour through North America titled ''"Mother's House of Horror: A Traveling All Hallows Eve Masquerade"'' with
Motionless in White
Motionless in White is an American metalcore band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2004, the band consists of lead vocalist Chris "Motionless" Cerulli, guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky "Horror" Olson, drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Ju ...
,
New Years Day, and
Ded.
On September 15, the band announced that their new single "The In-Between" would be released on October 31 on Twitter. However, on November 1, they told fans on their Instagram that the release would be postponed until early 2020.
On November 12, another post on Instagram announced that March, 2020, will initiate a new tour, titled ''"The In-Between Tour"'' appearing together with
Black Veil Brides
Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio and is currently composed of lead vocalist Andy Biersack, rhythm guitarist and violinist Jinxx, lead guitarist Jake Pitts, ...
,
Ded, and
Raven Black
''Raven Black'' is a 2006 novel by Ann Cleeves that won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award for the best crime novel of the year. . The tour will be accompanied with the new album ''Mother''.
In early January 2020, In This Moment posted several teasers, images and clips related to the then-upcoming album, ''Mother'', on their official Instagram. On January 20, In This Moment posted a video clip for "The In-Between" with a caption reading "Wednesday the unveiling will be upon us". On January 21, the band pinned a post to their official Facebook page a link to a countdown timer on YouTube with the launch of "The In-Between" music video.
"The In-Between" music video, directed by Maria Brink and Robert Kley and edited by Maria Brink and Randy Weitzel, premiered on YouTube January 22, 2020 and generated over one million views in less than a week. Also on January 22, the band officially announced that their upcoming seventh studio album titled ''Mother'' is set for release on March 27, 2020. The official album art and track listing has been also released.
On February 21, the band released the second single of the album titled "Hunting Grounds" featuring Joe Cotela of
Ded. On March 19, a week before the album release, the band released their third single "As Above, So Below".
Critical reception
The album received mostly positive reviews, but also mixed reviews from several critics. Carlos Zelaya from ''Dead Press!'' rated the album negatively calling it: "''Mother'' is a record that will no doubt satisfy plenty of In This Moment's fanbase, but will unfortunately do absolutely nothing to win anyone else over."
''Distorted Sound'' scored the album 9 out of 10 and said: "''Mother'' is an immersive experience that leaves you feeling out-of-body, it's crafty in how it executes its concepts and does not hold back both vocally and instrumentally. Arguably one of IN THIS MOMENT's best albums to date."
''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' gave the album 4 out of 5 with writer
Steve Beebee
Steve Beebee is a journalist, author and broadcaster, best known for his work with ''Kerrang!'' magazine. Beebee is one of the magazine's longest serving writers. He is known for championing bands for their genuine entertainment qualities as oppos ...
stating: "The only thing certain about In This Moment is that nothing is ever certain. Just like their mesmerising live shows, their music defies prediction and is all the more gripping for it. Thus, aside from 'Lay Me Down's instant rush, ''Mother'' moves away from the bewitching, gospel-tinged rock of 2017's ''
Ritual
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...
''. Gushing rivers of guitar combine with electronics and strange musical patterns that take time to coalesce, but when they do it's clear that
Maria Brink
Maria Brink (born December 18, 1977) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the frontwoman of the metal band The band has gone on to release seven studio albums and receive four nominations, two from Alternative Press Music Awards, ...
's unique band have scored another win, brilliantly balancing ''Mother''s fire and ice. The pyrotechnic cover of
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
's '
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at numbe ...
', featuring
Lzzy Hale
Elizabeth Mae "Lzzy" Hale (born October 10, 1983) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of hard rock band Halestorm, which she co-founded with her brother Arejay Hale in 1997.
Career
Hale began writing and ...
and
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American musician, singer, model, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (2000) and Jen ...
, contrasts beautifully with 'Legacy's emotive lilt, while 'As Above, So Below' is sharp-fanged with irony and angst. It ends with an eerie interpretation of
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.
Mazzy Star ...
's '
Into Dust
"Into Dust" is a song by American duo Mazzy Star that appears as the ninth track on their second album '' So Tonight That I Might See''. The song's arrangement is sparse and features only acoustic guitar and cello as accompaniment to the vocals.
...
', with lingering notes of darkness that will make you want to hit repeat and fall in love with it over and over again."
''New Noise'' praised the album saying, "''Mother'' feels like a poignant testament to the energy that brings people together. Throughout 2020, as live music experiences on all scales remain in jeopardy, the album's feel takes on an even more special significance."
Commercial performance
''Mother'' debuted at number 34 on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 13,600 copies in its first week.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Mother''.
In This Moment
*
Maria Brink
Maria Brink (born December 18, 1977) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the frontwoman of the metal band The band has gone on to release seven studio albums and receive four nominations, two from Alternative Press Music Awards, ...
* Randy Weitzel
* Kent Diimmel
* Travis Johnson
* Christopher Howorth
Additional musicians
*
Lzzy Hale
Elizabeth Mae "Lzzy" Hale (born October 10, 1983) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of hard rock band Halestorm, which she co-founded with her brother Arejay Hale in 1997.
Career
Hale began writing and ...
– guest vocals on "We Will Rock You"
*
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American musician, singer, model, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (2000) and Jen ...
– guest vocals on "We Will Rock You"
* Joe Cotela of
Ded – guest vocals on "Hunting Grounds"
* Laurie Barber – additional vocals on "Mother"
* Rita Brink – additional vocals on "Mother"
Technical
*
Kevin Churko
Kevin Gregory Churko (born 19 January 1968) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Hinder, Modern Science, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, In This M ...
– production, engineering, mixing, mastering
*
Kane Churko
Kane Gregory Churko (born January 20, 1986) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer, songwriter and musician best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Cory Marks, Modern Science (band), Modern Science, Five F ...
– production, engineering
* Tristan Hardin – additional engineering,
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
editing
* Randy Weitzel – additional engineering, Pro Tools editing
* Kevin Sankel – additional engineering
* Jim Carroll – engineering assistance
* Jonathan Wyman – vocal recording
Artwork
* Virgilio Tzaj – art direction, design
*
Brooke Shaden – cover image, booklet images
* Jeremy Saffer – booklet images
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Notes
References
{{Authority control
2020 albums
Albums produced by Kevin Churko
Atlantic Records albums
In This Moment albums
Roadrunner Records albums