Album review: Madder Mortem's 'Eight Ways'

BP M. Kirkevaag, Mads Solås, Agnete M. Kirkevaag, Tormod Langøien Moseng, and Odd Eivind Ebbeson.
 

Music is derived from what what we know, what we were raised on, and what we are surrounded by. Unlike our commonly urbanized American metal bands, Madder Mortem hails from the rural depths of south-eastern Norway. The European quintet has managed to capture their countryside upbringings and produce their natural and organic surroundings into four studio albums. They have been a band for 16 years now and their fifth full length, 'Eight Ways' proves that they won't be losing their fire any time soon.

Madder Mortem consists of Agnete M. Kirkevaag on vocals, guitarists BP M. Kirkevaag and Odd Eivind Ebbeson, bassist Tormod Langøien Moseng, and Mads Solås on drums. They have toured with bands like Opeth, Tristania, Rotting Christ, and Vintersorg.

'Eight Ways' has 12 tracks that include:

1. Formaldehyde
2. The Little Things
3. Armour
4. Resolution
5. A Different Kind Of Hell
6. Riddle Wants To Be
7. Where Dream And Day Collide
8. The Flesh The Blood And The Man
9. Get That Monster Out Of Here
10. Life, Lust & Liberty
11. All I Know
12. The Eighth Wave

With this record you will find that two unlikely genres are paired together, jazz and progressive metal, and the cool part is that the band actually pulls it off. Don't think that their jazz inspiration doesn't make the record any less intense though, as 'Eight Ways' goes off in different directions, taking you on a swift rollercoaster ride with songs going from slow to fast and from sensitive to kicking you in the face.

Interesting listens like its opening track "Formaldehyde" will appear to be soft and haunting with a distinctive bass line, drumming sequence, and off-note clean guitars, but then it belts out a breakdown worthy of moshing to. Other songs stay true to jazz influences, like "Where Dream And Day Collide", "The Flesh The Blood And The Man", even use of a mandolin in "All I Know", but they eventually morph into heavy, metallic instrumentals that knock you down and make you beg for mercy.

The entire album follows this pattern from start to finish, which can begin to get exhausting but not boring, and it makes this record very bi-polar, so to speak. It's almost like being punched in the gut, then getting peeled off of the ground and punched again, and it goes on for about an hour. It makes you hope that at least one song would stay soft throughout just to have enough time to recuperate and get ready for what's next. If there were maybe one or two opportunities of being spared of the dramatic transitions and to sort your brain with what exactly is going on, then this would be perfect, but other heavy metal fans might disagree.

On the other hand, each song is crafted well with cleverly written guitar riffs and held together with a smooth bass rhythm and a powerful drumbeat, creating the massive sound that is purely Madder Mortem. Agnete shows her multiple talents as a lyricist, a poet, and a vocalist, turning the band into a very sophisticated metal group. They definitely are not for the close-minded listener and it may take a few listens to be able to wrap your head around this masterpiece, but it is certainly not something to ignore. This isn't your everyday Scandinavian metal band; these guys are something special.

'Eight Ways' by Madder Mortem, released under Peaceville Records, earns a well-deserved 9/10. The album hits American stores today, so grab your copy immediately. Without it, you won't get to know one of the most important female-fronted metal albums to date.

Favorites: "Formaldehyde", "Resolution", "Get That Monster Out Of Here", and "All I Know."