Review: mothaltar - Prologue
Band: mothaltar
EP: Prologue
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Record Label: Independent
Release Date: April 2, 2021
EP length: 20 Minutes
Track list:
- Worth Dying
- Return
- Sojourner
- Common
- Burning Scoria
Metalcore is an interesting genre for me. It is almost like an umbrella term covering a varying array of artists. While I felt the genre hit a plateau in the mid-2000s, I feel like it is back on an upswing. Bands are starting to either retrace the steps of more aggressive bands before them or are pushing the envelope by adding different influences and taking a more progressive turn. And this is where we find mothaltar’s debut EP, Prologue.
Worth Dying is an instrumental kicking off the EP (an interesting title choice considering its opening position). This is a beautifully written intro track that just leads you along waiting for what is coming. The Return delivers when growling vocals and chugging guitars come crashing in like a juggernaut. This is, in my opinion, the best song on the EP. The song encompasses every piece of the EP without giving too much away. It has crushing riffs and brutal vocals all woven in with progressive melodic elements and clean singing. The music is matched by thoughtful and poetic lyrics. I repeat. This song shows high potential, I could listen to it on repeat. Sojourner is a tasty metal groove with just a hint of djenty goodness. Common takes a bit more of a melodic turn, still just a little heavy, but a very well done melody sung with clean vocals. It also has an amazing instrumental moment in the bridge. The EP ends with Burning Scoria, This song starts in an absolutely crushing fashion before wandering off to an ending with spoken word.
Now for negatives, not a whole lot here honestly. Common and Burning Scoria seem to just kind of end out of nowhere. The endings of both kind of took me off guard because they just seemed so abrupt. Lyrically there is a lot of potentials. The Christian message of the band is definitely present, many seem to draw a bridge connecting the struggles of life while still finding rest and faith in God. At times, however, the words seem to meander around different areas rather than staying fixed on a singular idea.
At the end of the day, negatives aside, for a debut EP it’s clear that the band isn’t slouching. These guys are serious about what they are doing and clearly they want to do it well. As I have stated, there is some real potential for greatness here, especially in The Return. With all the progressive feels and melodic experimenting, I would really love to see what this band is capable of. I’d like to see where they can go and what they can do when given more room to let their music breath expand. All in all, it a very solid debut for these guys, and I am interested in watching their future.
Rating: 8/10
Favorite Track: The Return
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