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A buzz is circulating around SoCal's In This Moment, mainly
Maria Brink, the hot rock chick that fronts this outfit. On
Beautiful Tragedy, the band avoids the usual nuances
of female fronted metal, instead opting for a guitar-based
blend of metalcore and hard rock, with Brink's multi-dimensional
vocals leading the attack.
First impressions are always fun. When I first glanced at
the album cover, I immediately thought of that early '90s
cheese movie Tank Girl, with those curly blonde locks
and excess makeup. Then as the disc began to spin it seemed
like Otep fronting It Dies Today. But as the album ran deeper,
I realized that In This Moment is a rare progeny of the metal
scene. Other than Otep, Crisis or Walls of Jericho, you'll
be hard pressed to find a girl fronting a band of this ilk,
be it metalcore, hard rock, etc. In This Moment is different,
churning out some shit I could see kids frantically moshing
to. The quintet formed in 2005 and has climbed the ranks rather
quickly, touring with 3 Inches of Blood, Sworn Enemy and,
in 2007, Lacuna Coil and Within Temptation on the "Hottest
Chicks of Metal" tour..
Brink has a vicious, high-pitched scream similar to Karyn
Crisis but can also sing melodically and pack endless emotion
into her lyrics. “Prayers” is catchy as hell and
is along the lines of It Dies Today or Killswitch Engage in
structure. The title track features Brink's most memorable
vocals, backed by solid guitar harmonies, even if it sounds
like something you'd hear spinning at Hot Topic. Chris Howorth
and Blake Bunzel provide lead and rhythm guitars, and it's
obvious they are fans of In Flames. This is never more evident
than on “Ashes,” where the chugging riffs sound
like outtakes from Come Clarity. I say this is a
good thing and blends outstandingly with Brink's vocals. Same
goes for “This Moment,” where Brink sounds a little
like Tori Amos over the Swedish metal guitar riffs. Slower
acoustic sections show up on “The Legacy of Odio,”
“He Said Eternity” and ”When the Storm Subsides,”
but they all erupt into chugging riffs and metal, save for
the last. Again I hear a Tori Amos influence in this track.
It's not obvious what Brink is singing about, but her vocals
are strong and passionate throughout the entire album.
Brinks' performance makes In This Moment an original band
even if they are recycling recent sounds and ideas. The fact
is they stand above many bands who have been on the scene
for years before them. Beautiful Tragedy is a dynamic
effort and an excellent debut. With a vocalist like this,
In This Moment is poised for a breakthrough sooner rather than
later.
®2007 Live-Metal.net
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