Please note that the cover art featured along with this review is not the official cover art for this single. There does not appear to be an official cover for the single which is why I am using a fanmade one (which features credit for the designer as a watermark). (Streaming outlets are using the Chromatica cover art as the single cover.) One day prior to the release of her new studio album Chromatica, American pop singer Lady Gaga has surprise dropped another song from the album, this being the third prior to the album's release. (See my reviews of "Stupid Love" and "Rain on Me" here and here, respectively.) It is my understanding that this song - titled "Sour Candy" is not officially the third single released from the album but rather a promotional teaser to celebrate the release of the album tomorrow. I absolutely love "Stupid Love" but am not crazy about "Rain on Me," and in my review of "Rain on Me," I expressed hope that "Rain on Me" was not a signal of what the majority of Chromatica would have to offer, and "Sour Candy" is fortunately an omen that that will not be the case. It is so much more creative both lyrically and melodically, with a catchy and lyrically meaningful hook sung in Gaga's signature low register: "I'm hard on the outside, but if you give me time, then I could make time for your love. I'm hard on the outside, but if you see inside..." Many of the song's lyrics - that part included - indicate that the song is about being given space and time to grow. The catchy and '90s-esque dance track is also about (in my opinion at least) having a hard outer shell that you use for protection even though the reality is that you are soft and sweet underneath; anyone who wants to truly get to know that soft and sweet spot just needs to take the time that it takes to get there.
On albums such as Hard Candy (2008) and Rebel Heart (2015), Madonna made an effort in those titles to emphasize dichotomies - tough but kind, strong but vulnerable, and I think that Gaga is doing something similar on this track. Sour candy is an interesting treat because it is usually sour but also sweet, and sometimes, most of the sour taste is on a hard outer shell that fades as you get closer and closer to the candy's sweet center, so the analogy here is pretty clear to me. If you take the time that is required to get past the speaker's sour outer shell, you will eventually reach her sweet center. Although it is possible that this is meant to be a double entendre and be somewhat sexual, I don't think that that is the main focus even if so. The song, to me, is about giving someone who appears to be rough around the edges the chance to show that they actually have a good heart, a theme that Gaga has implemented in the past on the Born This Way track "Bad Kids": "Don't be insecure if your heart is pure. You're still good to me if you're a bad kid, baby." "Sour Candy" features vocals from K-Pop girl group BLΛƆKPIИK, and although I think, as I think is the case on "Rain on Me," that they are featured a little bit too prominently on the track when it is really supposed to be Gaga's song, I don't mind it here as much for two reasons - (1) I find them to be much more tolerable than Ariana Grande and (2) there are four of them as opposed to only one Ariana, so it makes sense that they would need more time on the track in order for all of them to be featured. "Sour Candy," as I said, definitely has an early '90s dance rhythm to it and also has a bit of an industrial sound to it, especially in its intro, and I absolutely love it. Running at only 2:38, though, I wish that it were a little longer. (Look for my review of Chromatica in the near future, as, as stated previously, the album drops tomorrow!)
I discovered Ghost approximately a month or so ago when "Mary on a Cross" was in my Discover Mix on YouTube Music (which is why I am starting with reviewing this single, since it features "Mary on a Cross" and is therefore my first exposure to the band), and life has not been the same since. I have not been able to stop listening to them, and because I loved "Mary on a Cross" so much, I invested so much time in listening to the band's entire discography, researching its background, watching tons of interviews with the Ghost frontman Tobias Forge, and even purchasing most of the albums. (I am, as of now, missing Opus Eponymous, Infestissumam, and their live album Ceremony and Devotion. I am also technically missing this single, which I plan to eventually purchase on vinyl since it is not available on CD.) As I will discuss in further detail as I review the rest of the band's discography, Ghost is a very creative project because most of the band members' identities are secret. They are referred to as Nameless Ghouls, and the frontman (who, as I said, is really Tobias Forge) is the mysterious Papa who, according to Ghost lore (which is, in reality, fictional), has been replaced with each album. Papa Emeritus I fronted the band for Opus Eponymous; Papa Emeritus II fronted the band for Infestissumam; Papa Emeritus III fronted the band for Meliora; Cardinal Copia (about whom I will discuss at greater length when I review his album) fronted the band for Prequelle. Seven Inches of Satanic Panic is unique because, within the Ghost fictional universe, it is a re-release of a single originally released in 1969 when Papa Nihil (the father of the three Papas) fronted the band. As I keep stressing, however (just so that I am not causing confusion amongst those who are not familiar with Ghost lore), this is the fictional lore surrounding the band. This single is actually new (having been released in September last year), and the different identities (Papa Nihil, Papa Emeritus I, Papa Emeritus II, Papa Emeritus III, and Cardinal Copia) are all actually Tobias Forge in the studio. Now that that has been discussed and explained, however, let's move on to actually discussing the tracks featured on this single, shall we?
The reason why Seven Inches of Satanic Panic features only two songs is because it is meant to be, as I said, like a single that would have been released in 1969 - which would have been a 7" vinyl (hence the title and hence why it is only available digitally and on vinyl) with one track on the A-side and one track on the B-side. The A-side features "Kiss the Go-Goat," which features a music video depicting Papa Nihil performing the song live at a venue with his lover, Sister Imperator, watching from a balcony until Nihil eventually betrays her and starts getting frisky with some of the women in the crowd. (Sister Imperator is another character in the Ghost lore, believed to be the Papas' mother.) The song has a psychedelic rock flavor to it, which makes a lot of sense given that it's supposed to be a song from 1969. (The lyrics even nod toward the Beatles' 1967 song and album Magical Mystery Tour: "You've been playing around the magic that is black, but all the powerful magical mysteries never gave a single thing back.") According to Genius, the song is intended to be somewhat satirical. Ever since Opus Enonymous was released in 2010, Ghost has come under scrutiny from time to time because of its Satanic imagery and lyrics (which I will discuss a bit more later on), and this song seems to be poking fun at that. It's no secret to most that goats - especially black ones - are often used in Satanic imagery. (Just watch the 2015 horror film The VVitch for a prime example.) They are often intended to be used as depictions of Satan. (In The VVitch, for example, the family's goat - Black Phillip - is essentially revealed to be Satan disguised as a goat.) When Nihil tells the listener to kiss the goat, he is therefore essentially telling the listener to kiss Satan because, unlike previous attempts at finding love, Satan won't let you down: "...but he's the guy you wanna do, and you know that it takes two; luckily, he wants to do you, too." This song definitely grew on me. I initially didn't really like it much - especially not compared to "Mary on a Cross" - but I now love it for its '60s sound and poppy chorus that acts as a real earworm. I am sure that it came as a surprise to many longtime Ghost fans, especially following the theatrical rock opera style of 2018's Prequelle. It maintains Ghost's sound while also flirting with something new.
The b-side of the single features "Mary on a Cross," a song that will always have a special place in my heart because, as I said, of it being my first exposure to Ghost. This song, in mid to late April, was featured in my weekly Discover Mix on YouTube Music (thanks, YouTube Music!), and I immediately loved it upon first listen. Like "Kiss the Go-Goat," "Mary on a Cross" has a 1960s psychedelic rock vibe to it, although it might be even poppier and catchier than "Kiss the Go-Goat" which is saying a lot. (Yes, this is another earworm for sure.) Ghost has always been exceptionally skilled at combining different genres of music - such as punk rock, power pop, arena rock, psychedelic rock, and heavy metal - together. In fact, upon my first exposure to them, one of the reasons why I loved them was that they sounded to me like a blend of R.E.M., HIM, and '60s and '70s psychedelic rock bands such as The Doors. "Mary on a Cross" (and this single overall, for that matter) is a great example of the band's tendency to bend and blend genres. The track, as I said, features vintage psychedelic tendencies as well as a bit of a modern indie rock sound and some catchy retro pop sensibilities. I had the song's chorus stuck in my head after my very first listen and thought, This is really interesting. I need to check out the rest of this band's stuff, and I am not disappointed that I did because, as I said, my life has not been the same since. I have seen "Mary on a Cross" labeled as blasphemous, but I honestly can't understand that. I mean, I am not necessarily against blasphemy when it comes to Christianity because I am what many would consider blasphemous myself. I believe in a higher power but do not believe it to be the Christian god and believe the Christian Bible to be nothing more than a book of stories. Regardless of my feelings toward Christianity, however, I don't see how the song is blasphemous, especially not when you aren't digging into the song's lyrics deeply enough which is a mistake that people frequently make. Some readers may remember, for example, the controversy that conservative Christians launched back in 2011 when Lady Gaga released her single "Judas." The song was regarded as Jesus-bashing and further evidence of Gaga's involvement with the Illuminati, even though the reality of it was merely that Gaga was using Judas as a metaphor for an actual man whom she loved but knew wasn't good for her because of his tendency to betray her.
As previously mentioned, Ghost is no stranger to controversy. They once had a show scheduled in Midland, Texas where they faced backlash from a pastor protesting their presence there. He said that the band's Satanic messages were not a good influence on the community. I could be wrong, but I fortunately do not believe that the pastor's outcry had any effect, but it is an example of a religious zealot not being too happy about Ghost. Frontman Tobias Forge has repeatedly said in interviews that much of the Satanic imagery and lyrical content is meant to be allegorical and not taken literally. He has also said that some of the most hateful people that he has ever met were Christians and that when it comes to Satanism, there are Satanists who literally worship the Biblical figure and then Satanists who simply admire what the figure represents, which is freedom and rebellion. My point is that "Mary on a Cross" being referred to as blasphemous is child's play for them. When, in the chorus of the song, Papa Nihil sings that "you go down just like holy Mary," it is possible that he is referring to the Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus Christ), but it is also possible that it is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Mary Magdalene, purported by some to have been a prostitute, and most people know that "go down" is a euphemism for oral sex. (Nihil also says near the end of the chorus that "if you choose to run away with me, I will tickle you internally," which is very likely also intended to be sexual innuendo.) Genius also makes the point that the song is not only meant to be sexual but is also about marijuana. Nihil, for example, sings, in isolation, the words "Mary on a" which could very well be meant to sound like "marijuana." "Go down" could therefore be a reference to the smoke going down into the user's lungs, which could also be what "tickle you internally" is in reference to (reminding me of when Gaga sings in her song "Mary Jane Holland" that "the grass heats up my insides"). Either way, it's not really about religion, is it? It's a metaphor, fool. This is one of many reasons why I love this song - its clever subtext and multiple meanings. I am so very glad that I discovered this band and will definitely be reviewing the remainder of its discography soon.
When American pop singer Lady Gaga released "Stupid Love" (which I reviewed here) - the lead single from her upcoming studio album Chromatica - I was not initially all that impressed, but the song quickly grew on me. I quickly became obsessed with it and couldn't stop listening to it, and I still stand by my opinion that it is her strongest lead single since "Bad Romance" of 2009. The album's second single - titled "Rain on Me" - leaves a lot for me to be desired, however. I have listened to the song multiple times now, and it still has not clicked for me, and I feel disappointed but not surprised. Why am I not surprised? Well, when I saw the song listed on the tracklisting, I didn't expect to be overly impressed because I have never been a fan of Ariana Grande, and Ariana Grande, who is featured as a guest artist on "Rain on Me," dominates the song, almost making it seem as if Gaga is the featured artist. As I said, I have never been a fan of Grande. Her music is, to me, generic and flavorless R&B, and her sultry and whiny voice makes me want to tear my hair out. (Other favorites of mine such as Lana Del Rey and Troye Sivan have also collaborated with her, and I am not a fan of those songs either, especially not the Troye Sivan number.) I will admit that my unfavorable outlook toward Grande probably, to a degree, makes me a biased listener, but I am also not all that taken by the melody of the song. While I do appreciate the retro '90s sound of the song and the early '90s dance rhythm, I just don't find the melody to be all that interesting, although I do like Gaga singing, in her signature commanding and low register, the seemingly punctuated words: "Rain. On. Me." The song is, in part, addressing an ex-lover: "I didn't ask for a free ride," Gaga asserts at the opening of the song. "I only asked you to show me a real good time." She seems to be using rain as a metaphor for tears and sadness following the end of the relationship (a bit cliché), but according to Genius, it is also meant to be a metaphor for alcohol as a coping mechanism: "I'd rather be dry," she sings in the song's chorus - undoubtedly the best part, "but at least I'm alive." This line, in the context of alcohol, seems to be saying that she would rather be sober, but at least she has found a way to cope with the pain. There have been times in the past when I went a very long time not caring much for a song until it finally struck me, so maybe this one just needs some extra time to grow on me, but as of now, I am really not impressed and am hoping that this song is an outlier on Chromatica. I fortunately have a feeling, based on the song titles and imagery that Gaga has been using to promote the album, that it will be. "Rain on Me" is somewhat of a generic dance track, and I am not expecting that from the majority of the album. (I am, in fact, getting Born This Way vibes from the cover art and imagery, which excites me as that is without a doubt my favorite Lady Gaga album.)
When American singer/songwriter Greyson Chance announced on April 24th, 2020 that he would be releasing a new single - titled "Honeysuckle" - on May 8th, 2020, I initially thought that he was announcing the release date of his new album (the follow-up to his 2019 album portraits, a follow-up which he has been teasing for a long time now). When I ended up realizing that it was just a new single that he was announcing, I was, of course, a bit disappointed but was also very surprised because it seemed odd to announce a new single with so much time still remaining before the release date. I, however, digress, especially since the song was well worth the wait. Chance has thus far released three singles from this era - "Boots" (which is apparently a standalone single that won't be featured on the album), "Dancing Next to Me" (which, along with "Boots," I reviewed here), and now "Honeysuckle," and "Honeysuckle" is my favorite of the three, hands down. My only complaint with it, in fact, is that it's too short. Clocking in at 2:23, it feels almost like an interlude as opposed to a full song. The song begins with electronic production somewhat mimicking chanting, reminding me a great deal of the opening to Lady Gaga's 2011 hit "The Edge of Glory." "Honeysuckle" is primarily fueled by a sultry beat (that is hard to resist dancing to) and chiming keyboard, and Greyson's vocals often feature an electronically altered vocal layer underneath. Something that I love and find incredibly interesting about this song is that the melody, especially in the chorus, is almost Gregorian in how flat and unchanging that it is, yet the song is still catchy as hell. (I think that it is, in part, due to the infectious beat.) Greyson has stated that "Honeysuckle" acts as his "love letter to the summer." He also stated in that tweet that it's a statement regarding his love for recklessness, so it is pretty clear that he sees summer as a time to be reckless, and the lyrics definitely support this: "Honeysuckle, high in the tree. You let the world live under you like you're some good royalty. No one can touch you when you're reckless in the summer, that heat. You let him wonder, but you never let him sink in his teeth." The song seems to be celebrating summer as a time to have fun, to not allow anyone to get too close because getting close comes with the caveat of being exposed to the risk of heartbreak. In the song's summery music video (which was filmed in Chance's home-state of Oklahoma), Chance is seen riding on a motorcycle with another guy until they reach a small lake where Chance drowns the guy and takes his motorcycle. It's definitely a humorous way of emphasizing the song's theme of not allowing anyone to get too close. It's such a great track, and I can't wait to hear what the rest of the album (which, according to Genius, is titled Trophies) has to offer.
After releasing their seventh studio album Resist (which I reviewed here) in early 2019, I certainly wasn't expecting new music from Dutch metal band Within Temptation this soon, but they announced approximately a week or so before its release that a new single - titled "Entertain You" - was on the way, set to be released on May 8th, 2020. Although the band has not yet made any official announcements regarding an album release date or title, "Entertain You" does seem to be the first single from an upcoming album. Frontwoman Sharon den Adel has stated that the song had originally been planned for a release coinciding with Within Temptation's Worlds Collide Tour with Evanescence (which has unfortunately been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic); she also stated that the current plan is to release a few singles between now and the release of the album, which probably won't be until next year. (While that long wait is a bummer, at least we will get several singles between now and then from the sounds of it.) The single's cover art strongly suggests a new sound and new direction for the band, suggesting a more anarchic and maybe even "punkier" vibe than the band has ever gone for before, and I do think that the song, for the most part, corroborates this. While undoubtedly still very heavy, "Entertain You" is arguably more alternative than it is metal, and it definitely has the raw angst that a lot of punk rock tends to have. The lyrics, for example, are far more biting than most anything that I have ever heard from Within Temptation before, and den Adel even stated before the release of the song that "for many, the song will be a shocker" due to its new direction both musically and lyrically. "Go to hell; I'm not here to entertain you," the chorus spits. The melody of the chorus is, at certain points, strikingly similar to that of Imagine Dragons' hit song "Radioactive" (which is funny because Within Temptation did actually cover that song in the past during the Hydra era). Within Temptation producer Daniel Gibson heavily lends his vocals to this track (and now knowing that, I have to wonder if it's him whom we hear in the Resist track "Mad World") - a self-empowering rock anthem about taking power back from a narcissist. It is far from being my favorite Within Temptation track to date, and I definitely prefer the more theatrical sound on albums such as The Heart of Everything and Resist, but one reason that I love Within Temptation is their willingness to go outside of their comfort zone and experiment with new sounds, a willingness that definitely shines brightly on this track.
American metal band In This Moment returns from its 2017 album Ritual (which I reviewed here) with Mother, an album that seems to continue with many of the same themes from Ritual. (It is so crazy for me to realize that it has been nearly three years since Ritual dropped because it does not feel even remotely that long.) Everything about Ritual - from its title, to its cover art, to songs such as "Witching Hour" - suggested a magical and witchy theme, and, as I said, Mother definitely continues with this theme. The cover art (as pictured above) definitely looks like it could be depicting a coven of witches, and the album's themes of female empowerment and female leadership definitely reflect the feminist ideals apparent in many Pagan religions and paths. The band also seems to be obsessed with contradiction and duality, and that is absolutely translated onto this album, as well. The song "Blood" (taken from the 2012 album of the same title), for example, first tells someone that they are hated for all of the good things that they did for the speaker and then tells someone (possibly the same person?) that they are loved for all of the bad things that they did to the speaker. Ritual features a song titled "Half God Half Devil" (which the Ritual tour was even named after) and also a song titled "Roots" which, similar to "Blood," thanks a subject for the hardships that they made the speaker endure because such hardships made the speaker stronger. This theme, as I said, is also persistent on Mother, but I will address such examples as they arise. Mother opens with an instrumental overture (with spoken words by frontwoman Maria Brink), as has been the case for In This Moment for several albums now. (The intro even features the sound of a civil defense siren, typical of several of the band's opening tracks.) It then gaplessly moves into a cover of the 1976 Steve Miller Band song "Fly Like an Eagle." The cover features pounding percussion and a persistently chugging guitar riff, but it's not really much of a highlight for me because I have never been much of a fan of the original song. I have never hated it but have also never really loved it.
Before I continue my discussion of Mother, I should say that while I overall do really like the album (especially since it grows on me a little bit more each time that I listen to it), it is by no means my favorite In This Moment album (that honor probably goes to 2014's Black Widow). Albums such as The Dream (2008), Black Widow (2014), and Ritual (2017) are, in my opinion, much stronger albums, and one of the problems that I have with Mother is how it is structured. Immediately following an instrumental opening prior to a song is yet another instrumental interlude that works as an intro to "The In-Between," the album's lead single. (The instrumental interlude - titled "The Red Crusade" - is, in fact, featured in the "The In-Between" music video.) Having an instrumental piece followed by a song followed by yet another instrumental piece sounds strange and out of place, and I vehemently believe that "The In-Between" (along with its intro, of course) should have been placed closer to the end. "The In-Between" is Mother's "Blood" or "Roots" - fueled electronically and featuring seemingly autobiographical lyrics about Brink's upbringing and identity: "My mother said that I was holy; my father said that I would burn." This song is Mother's best example of what I was talking about earlier regarding duality and contradiction. Brink, in the song's strongest part, sings in the bridge close to the end of the song that she is "between hell and heaven," which definitely calls back to the idea of being half god and half devil from Ritual. "The In-Between" was definitely a grower for me because when I first heard it, I by no means hated it but also wasn't really emotionally struck by it. I now love it, however, and absolutely consider it to be one of the strongest highlights on the album. It also makes for a very powerful lead single because of all of the callbacks to older In This Moment hits in the chorus: "I'm gonna bring a little hell. I'm gonna bring a little heaven. You just keep wanting more, with your blood and your whore... It's a beautiful tragedy. You wanna be sick like me?"
Mother then moves into "Legacy," a somewhat soft and airy song that reminds me a bit of their cover of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" from Ritual. Although not really a favorite of mine, I do like the melody of the chorus, especially at the end when Brink sings, "I am and will always be your legacy." According to Genius, Maria Brink wrote the song for her grandfather and veterans in general. Another highlight is the band's cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You," featuring Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. Interestingly, Maria Brink is credited as a featured artist which doesn't make much sense because she is, of course, the frontwoman of In This Moment. However, I think that it was done to emphasize Maria as part of this trio of women, and not only is 3 an important number in witchcraft, it also pushes the album's theme of female empowerment, especially since the song is about taking control and coming out on top. It is also very likely that the cover is intending to play with the word "rock," making it clear that, despite what some sexist people will tell you, women can and do rock just as hard as men. Heavier and a little more industrial than the original but still keeping most of its DNA intact, it is a memorable cover, and I love how it's being reinterpreted as a feminist anthem. Mother then gives us its title track, another grower for me. The song begins with Maria speaking the following words in prayer: "Mother, forgive us for our sins, for we know not what we do." This is of course a play on a traditional Christian phrase, changing "father" to "mother," once again emphasizing the album's themes of female empowerment and witchcraft (Pagans and witches often worship female gods). The song is melodically powerful, and Brink's raw vocal performance definitely stands out on the album. I do think that she also likely wrote the song with her actual mother in mind, as evidenced in the song's chorus: "...I will stand up for you. There's nothing I won't do. I'll give you my everything; I'll never let you fall." These lyrics seem to be very personal.
"As Above, So Below" is the third single released prior to the album's release and is definitely one of the more energetic songs on the album, backed by industrial production, warped vocals reminding me a great deal of Black Widow, and heavy guitar. Brink's chorus, in which she asserts that "what you reap is what you sow," is pretty catchy and memorable, and this is yet another song carrying on with the themes of duality and witchcraft. The saying "as above, so below" obviously reflects a concept of duality, as it refers to what happens in the sky affecting what happens here on Earth. (This is loosely tied to witchcraft as many witches believe that the stars and especially the moon have an impact on us.) The song is also emphasizing the idea of karma. As previously stated, Brink says in the chorus that "what you reap is what you sow," but she also says that "what you give comes back threefold." As previously mentioned, the number 3 is very important in many practices involving witchcraft, and The Threefold Law is a concept taken right out of Pagan practices such as Wicca - the idea that the energy that we put out into the world eventually comes back at us three times more powerful. In This Moment has been experimenting with more electronically fused sounds for a while now, and several songs on Mother continue that trend, including "Born in Flames." Although not really a favorite of mine, I do like the electronic instrumentation, and I like the message of the song, which brings in several interesting themes such as pain, the classic phoenix rising from the ashes, and empathy. Although I have no way of corroborating this, I believe that Brink may have written the song about and for her son, Davion Brink. It definitely seems to be addressed to a male, since the chorus asks, "...don't you know that you're a king...?" I also strongly believe it to be written about someone related to her because of this line in the second verse: "You know you are me, and you know I am you." The song definitely seems to be about having a strong connection with someone and knowing when they are in pain - perhaps even feeling that pain as well and coming out together stronger than before, and if it is about her son, then that means that she is highlighting her role as a mother, the album's title.
The song title "God Is She" really helps sum up one of the most central themes on the album - female empowerment. As the opening of "Mother" does, the song imagines a female god, and this song also once again calls forth that theme of duality and contradiction. "I am the god and the devil around you," Brink sings in her signature low and raspy register in the first verse. "I am the heaven and the hell you crave." The song is heavy and self-empowering, as the speaker imagines herself becoming all powerful and godlike: "...Watch as I set fire to everything. Watch as I burn down everything, anything... Watch as I turn into God. Watch as She, watch as She turns into me." I really love "Holy Man," a definite highlight on the album for me. The song begins with an introduction featuring organ (one of my favorite instruments) and a pulsating and drilling guitar coming in and out throughout the song. I love the beat of this song, yet another feminist song emphasizing religious themes. The religious themes are, however, likely being used as a metaphor. Brink opens her part with, "Show me a holy man. I need faith to believe again. Show me a worthy man." I strongly believe that the speaker is not literally asking for her faith in Christianity to be restored but for her faith in human decency and maybe even love to be restored, as she wants to be shown that a man could be good to her. It is also possible that the speaker is addressing the violence, hatred, bigotry, and hypocrisy that seems to run rampant among some Christians: "...even the worst kind of sinner is a holy man," she declares at the end of the chorus. This might seem like a contradiction, but as I said, the album is riddled with clever contradictions, and it isn't truly a contradiction because what I believe her to be saying is that holiness is not always goodness, and I have to admit that I absolutely agree because a sad truth is that some of the worst people that I have ever met have been people who identified as Christian. That does not apply to all of the Christians that I have met but definitely a good number of them. People who are hateful, bigoted, and even violent commit heinous acts and often do so in their god's name.
The twelfth track on Mother is the album's second single and by far my favorite song on the album. "Hunting Grounds" is Mother's catchiest and most energetic song, and when it was released as a single, it didn't take any growing on me at all; I instantly loved it and couldn't stop listening to it. The song features vocals from Joe Cotela of DED, and funnily enough, I absolutely adore his vocals on this song but could not get into DED despite my efforts. I am glad that the band decided to bring in a male vocalist on this song because, like Ritual's "Black Wedding," I definitely think that it's meant to be a duet because of its lyrical content. It imagines a cat and mouse game between two players - potentially a supernatural being such as a vampire or werewolf ("I have been sleeping for seven moons, and now, I'm awake") and its prey, or maybe even two supernatural beings at war. The track features electronic production but is also one of the heaviest tracks on Mother; I love it, for example, when chugging guitar first rips into the song - the third line of the first verse. My favorite part of the song, however, is the bridge close to the end of the song when a hauntingly beautiful keyboard melody plays which is then repeated at the end of the song. That is, in fact, my only complaint about the song; I think that it could have been even more powerful if that melody were a little more persistent throughout the track or at least in the opening as well. "Hunting Grounds" is not only my favorite song on Mother but also one of my favorite songs from the band's catalog so far overall. They really outdid themselves on this one! I also love "Lay Me Down," which features a southern influence similar to Ritual's "Oh Lord." It's another one of my favorite songs on the album, featuring a stomping and pulsating beat and an anthemic bridge, in which a chorus repeats, "Lay me down, down, down... you'll never lay me down." The song features one of the most melodically powerful choruses on the album, parts of which admittedly remind me a bit of Simple Plan's "Welcome to My Life" (undoubtedly a coincidence), and it's lyrically about coming out on top of conflict.
As previously stated, I do like Mother, but it also does have its flaws, and another one of those flaws is that I believe it to be too saturated with covers. Already discussed are covers of "Fly Like an Eagle" and "We Will Rock You," and closing the album is a cover of Mazzy Star's "Into Dust." The cover opens with a spoken intro, a reminder of some of the song's overall themes: "God is She, and She is God. I am Her, and you are me. Had to burn to be set free. We were all blind, but now, we see." (These lyrics are references to several of the album's previous tracks such as "God Is She" and "Born in Flames.") Aside from that, however, the cover is very faithful to the original, which is typical of In This Moment. Covers such as "Call Me" (originally by Blondie), "In the Air Tonight," and "We Will Rock You" do very little to change the DNA of the song and stay very faithful to the original songs. "Into Dust," in fact, really only changes the original persistently strumming acoustic guitar into piano (a welcome change, in my opinion, as it gives the song a lighter and dreamier quality to which I really respond well). As explained on Genius, the lyrics of the song seem to be about someone who is struggling with depression, feeling as if they themselves and their interactions with other people are meaningless and immediately fade into nothing. It is a light and dreamy (albeit somewhat depressing) way of closing the album, but as I said, I do believe that the album features too many covers, and "We Will Rock You" is the only one that truly stays loyal to the album's overall theme. As also previously discussed, I don't much care for the way that the album's tracklisting is structured, as I don't like two instrumental interludes being in such close proximity to each other, and I believe that with "The In-Between" being such an anthemic song that sums up many of the album's themes, it should have been placed closer to the end. Mother is a valiant effort but doesn't, in my humble opinion, manage to hit as hard as previous albums such as Black Widow and Ritual do, but, as stated before, it does feature "Hunting Grounds" - one of my favorite In This Moment songs to date, and as also stated before, it grows more on me every time that I listen to it, so perhaps it just has a bit more growing to do.
