The intricate melodies will make you shiver, and the crushing weight of rhythm guitar sections will melt your heart. Mother of Graves raises the bar with a melodic approach to modern melo death metal, especially with its clean vocal sections. The melodies are beautiful and carry gothic elements; guitars and deep growls thunder through the gloomy atmospheres, sending cold shivers down your spine. The music encapsulates you in utter sadness. The opening track, “Wingless Soul”, features Dan Swanö and is replete with moving piano notes and dark, somber growling.

The keyboards and driven melodies dip into melancholy. The dismal growling provides the music plenty of depth. Even the lead guitars add emotion to these moving songs. Mother of Graves is fronted by guitarists Chris Morrison and Ben Sandman, bassist Corey Clark, drummer Don Curtis, and vocalist/keyboardist Brandon Howe.

The album’s doom-laden riffs reminiscent of October Tide and early Opeth. The choruses of these eight tracks are powerful yet upliftingly catchy. They contain plenty of death-doom, gothic-tinged growling. The quintet emphasizes slow rhythms and creativity, opting for a melancholic tone. The album captures the melodic style of Swedish bands like early Katatonia‘s “Brave Murder Day” and October Tide’s “Rain without End”. The guitar melodies contrast with despair and darkness, which, in my opinion, enhances the slow, depressive cadence of songs like “Through the Pale Shade”.

The creativity shows in the musicianship and the dual guitar melodies that interweave through darkness and light. The band’s approach to melodic death metal recalls Dan Swanö’s Edge of Sanity. Mother of Graves weaves its way through melodic doom. This is because the guitar arrangements are masterfully played throughout the forty-five minutes.

The riffing is paired with irresistible melodies. The album is full of evocative moments where you will find yourself moving through aggressive drums, superb basslines, and the rhythm section; these threads make each track infectiously melodic. “Eventide Angel” and “The Silent Weight of the Stars” maintain a cohesive atmosphere.

The guitar brings plenty of doomier moments and chilling keyboard cascades, with a soothing effect. The gothic elements in the slower passages are woven perfectly with heavier riffs. Each riff sounds vibrant; the third studio album is a melodic rollercoaster; however, Mother of Graves has upped its game on these eight tracks with a profound sense of musical brilliance.

The musical refinement is evident compared to the band’s previous album “The Periapt of Absence”. The band understood their sound thoroughly; they emphasized sorrowful, doom-drenched growls that convey profound emotions, resulting in more captivating, catchier songwriting.

However, Mother of Graves’ traditional take on melodic death metal proves they have a knack for melodies; the dual guitars deliver a monumental work. The music banishes the bleakness, and instead the band focuses on creating a composition that is drenched in melancholy.

The album may not be as grand as Swallow the Sun’s “Ghosts of Loss” or “New Moon”, but as collective musicians, they have tinted these songs with dark and beautiful melodic guitar patterns, leaving the listener in a melancholic and cathartic state.

The piano passages in “The Beggar’s Allegory” are packed into a crushing wall of guitar riffs as the melodies ebb and flow like the tides. “The Light That Keeps Us” sees these five men bringing something truly special and unique on their third studio album. If the sophomore album was bleaker and heavier, wait until you hear this grand melodic album.

Links