In This Moment - Blood 1983 - EP [Review]

In summer of 2012, American metal band In This Moment released Blood, the album that is arguably the biggest turning point of its career. Not only was it in a change in direction toward a somewhat more accessible, more melodic sound, it was also the first album to experiment with more electronic sounds which would be amplified even more so on Black Widow, the band's first album on a major label since Blood was its final album with Century Media. In addition, although not my personal favorite (it's tough for me to choose between Black Widow and Ritual), I have seen many fans cite Blood as their favorite In This Moment album. All of this is just to say that with 2022 marking the tenth anniversary of the album, it makes sense that the band would want to commemorate it in some way, and they did so in a unique way. Rather than reissuing a remaster of the album and/or a reissue with some outtakes (which may or may not even be possible given that, again, Blood was originally released under Century Media; I am not sure), they released Blood 1983, an EP which features a new instrumental intro plus new recordings/reimaginings of four songs from the album stylized with synths so that they have a 1980s influence, hence the title. What is the significance of the year 1983, you may ask? I honestly have no idea, but it's no secret that musicians and storytellers have, for several years now (especially since the birth of the popular Stranger Things series in 2016), been memorializing and romanticizing the 1980s in one way or another, so this could just be In This Moment jumping on that bandwagon, which I am here for. (Plus, reimagining previous records seems to be a relatively popular trend amongst rock and metal bands right now. Within the last five years alone, Evanescence did it with Synthesis, Lacuna Coil recently did it with Comalies XX, and In This Moment now does it with Blood 1983.)

As previously mentioned, the EP opens with an instrumental intro simply titled "1983." Pretty short at just under a minute and a half, it begins and ends with low, indiscernible whispering and is heavily synthy and atmospheric, with the synths buzzing and waving throughout. If you're a fan of Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein's eerie and atmospheric synth work on the Stranger Things score, then you will very likely enjoy this piece. (My only issue with it, in fact, is that I wish that it were longer.) We then get the new version of "Adrenalize," and there are honestly a couple of tracks on this EP that I prefer to the original versions, this definitely being one of them. The dark, industrial synth just completely makes this version, in my opinion, and it's very, very, very (did I say very?) different from the version found on Blood, the guitar riff of which (the original, that is) easily makes it one of In This Moment's heaviest tracks of their discography thus far. In This Moment frontwoman Maria Brink sings the verses in a lower register than she does on the original version, giving this version of the song a darker, somewhat more eerie feel, although the melody and pitch of the chorus is mostly unchanged. This is one that I will most definitely be opting to listen to over the original most of the time and is probably the brightest highlight of the Blood 1983 EP for me. Then comes the 1983 version of "Burn," another one that I prefer over the original (although the difference isn't as great as it is for "Adrenalize"). I love how soft and atmospheric it is compared to the original version, and Brink's low, whispery vocals work perfectly alongside the synths. The track still gets a bit heavy beginning with the chorus and into the second verse, but it's still a very different take on this EP. (An interesting although probably trivial note that I want to make is that "Burn" is the only reimagined song present on the EP that was not originally a single from Blood.)

"Blood 1983" is another interesting take on its original version, although the synthy opening is not as surprising here because the 2012 version is an example of where the band began experimenting with electronic sounds. The original version of "Blood" is a memorable highlight from the band's career thus far, and this might be a different situation from the first two songs because even though I enjoy this version, I do still prefer the original. I do love how on this version, however, the synthy motif continues after the track gets a bit heavy. I don't think that the concept of synth-metal had ever crossed my mind prior to hearing this EP, yet here we are, and that's probably what I love the most about this EP - how unique it is in its approach. (Don't misunderstand - I am not saying that metal music has never before incorporated synths and electronic production before this EP. I have, in fact, already given examples in which In This Moment did it themselves. I just haven't really heard it done quite like this before. This EP really doesn't resemble any other band that I have ever listened to.) The EP then closes with its version of "Whore," another memorable staple from the band's career and definitely one of my favorites to hear live. (I have thus far seen the band three times, and you can check out my In This Moment tag to read my reviews of the shows.) Once again, I probably prefer the original Blood version to the version present here; in fact, if I had to choose a least favorite on the EP, it would probably be this. I love the classic '80s synth that comes in after the chorus is heard for the first time, but this version is much softer than the original version. Brink even sings it in a much gentler manner, and the lyrical nature of the song calls for it to be loud and angry. The 1983 version simply doesn't have the affect that it should. All in all, however, In This Moment has definitely given fans something special here. My only real complaint, in fact, is that I wish that they had redone the entire album rather than just four songs.