Release Date: September 22nd 2023. Record Label: Exile On Mainstream Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Frost: Tracklisting
Me, Myself & Enemy
Birmingham
Battlefield
Bruised
Cathedral
Hundreds
Frost
In The City
Dust
Silent
Members
Cecile Ash - Bass/Vocals
Freden Mohrdiek - Guitar/Vocals
Curry Korr - Drums
Review:
German Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metallers The Moth returns with their fourth album Frost and it sees the band return with their most accomplished album to date. Following six years from their last album, The Moth bring a more abrasive style of Doom/Sludge/Pop melodies that offer quite a hopeful atmosphere even within the heavy Sludge Metal confinements that allows the band becoming ferociously aggressive with a similar style of music to bands such as TORCHE and FLOOR. I know the band went through some pretty tough times since their last album but Frost proves they've come back bigger, better and stronger than ever.
Opening track Me, Myself & Enemy embraces that creative philosophy with damaging sludgy grooves that veer on the down-tuned and distorted way of underground music. The vocals from Cecile and Freden With some added Noise Rock grit, The Moth play a fast-paced style of music which showcases a deep respect and fascination to legends such as The Melvins. There's an ice-cold gloomy aspect and delivery with the vocals that allow the lyrics to have a more real life persona to them. Harking back to their earlier days, The Moth are bang-on form with their music even this very early on with the album.
Second track Birmingham continues with the down-tuned and Amplifier aspect of their music with the lyrics could be considered more despairing and personal to the bands struggles over the last few years. I could be way off base here but this track showcases a wonderfully heavy Black Sabbath sounding Bass heavy attack with the nihilistic vision of EYEHATEGOD and early Electric Wizard. However, The Moth add their Doom-Pop sweet hooks on this track and it offers brief moments of uplifting sounds before vanishing even further into the Doom/Sludge wilderness of gloomy Post-Whatever sounds.
Third song Battlefield opens with a swirling Sludge/Stoner Metal attack of heavy twisted guitars and the Punk Rock based vocals from both Cecile and Freden before The Moth settle on a grungy Doom-Pop attitude. The lyrics are quite daring and violent once again which can be quite shocking to hear at times but The Moth seem to revel in this dirge ridden atmosphere and I love the more realistic vision that the band bring to the album. The instrumental sounds are vicious and fast-paced yet again which allows the band to drift into both lighter and heavier areas of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal.
Fourth song Bruised is another brooding experience with The Moth switching between Punk Rock and Sludge Metal aesthetics that evokes memories of Kylesa in their prime. The lyrics can be quite trippy and very surreal with a realistic Doom Metal edge. The drumming is intense and perhaps the best part of the whole track. Despite the short running time of the track, this remains one of the heaviest tracks on the entire album with The Moth not wasting a second on extended Progressive sounds.
Fifth song Cathedral opens with a thrilling Sludgy Industrial sound with the slightly "less is more" delivery of the dual vocals. The Psychedelic guitars offer longer moments of upbeat Sludge/Stoner grooves but the Post-Doom or Post-Sludge vision brings The Moth crashing back down to harsh reality with some freaky Psychedelic freakouts. This allows The Moth to become way more Psychedelic than I'm used to hearing and I love that style of music they use for longer periods of the album on the remaining tracks.
The second half sees The Moth move effortlessly to darker musical pastures with that hopeful upbeat style that TORCHE used so well to their advantage. The lyrics maybe too realistic for some but the music is always engaging and richly rewarding with The Moth switching between full on Doom/Sludge Metal and Progressive leaning Psych Stoner Metal on tracks such as Hundreds, Frost, In The City and Silent. The Moth add elements of Drone and Ambient textures for the later stages of the album which brings a new level of heaviness for The Moth to pulverise listeners with.
Frost is without doubt The Moth's most commanding, risky and breathtakingly beautiful album to date and one I can't stop listening to. The record allows The Moth to show a different side that we've experienced before. With beautifully raw production values throughout the album allowing The Moth to play their most honest, brutal and uplifting release to date. Frost is one of 2023's most powerful and emotionally charged releases that propels this to becoming one of the best releases of the year.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to The Moth, Exile On Mainstream and Earsplit for the promo.
Frost will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Exile On Mainstream Records from September 22nd 2023
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