Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: Greece
Year: 2014
For some very strange reason, I was reluctant to write a review on this disc. I was afraid to push the “play” button. I didn’t know what to expect. A name based on a pun, eccentricity on the cover. You know, I had this feeling you get moments before you do something you’re not sure of, but you simultaneously want to be proven wrong for your ostensibly poor choice. On the other hand, said “What if it actually IS good and I waste my time faffing around.” I hit play. That was it. Doom.
Motherfaster are three lads from Athens, that even though they’ve been together since 2011, their debut record came out just in 2014. Paminos, Bill and Jim, who fill the shoes of singer / bassist, guitarist and drummer respectively, bring us a 9 – tracks record with compositions that remind you of something, but on the other side of the coin are so unique and special. It is a production of Motherfaster themselves, while mixing and mastering was George Emmanuel’s work.
The album begins with an instrumental track called “Not a Good Idea”, pacing through doom trails both quick and slow, with solos that give you goosebumps; Portends the style of the rest of the album. “A Bad Idea” comes next, a combination of heavy metal with doom and southern tunes. Although they state that their music heavy metal, the sound overall is much darker than that, like cement plates falling unto a glass front. There is a change in vocals in “The Nymph and the God”; Mr. Paminos voice becomes clearer. The solo and in general the sound of the guitar (in my ears) seems to have changed, imperceptibly, smoothly, while keeping character. In “Twenty Four Seven” we have different colors and vibrations, catchy sounds and perhaps the ideal piece to gain airtime. It has this quality that no other pieces of the genre have; generally it could be a radio success easily. Afterwards “Tunes of Doom” is full of a Black Sabbath feeling and a gentle touch of Black Label Society. “Jealously Insane” increases the speed with faster playing, full of energy, with a hefty bonus riff that works as an outro simultaneously. Next stop “Mirrors of Insanity” and “Red Lights” follow the same pattern with mid – tempo dark guitars. The album closes with “Royal Treatment”, a Judas Priest – like track with southern influences, completing the circle of the album in the best possible way. Lyrically, “Motherfaster” is not intended neither for sweethearts, nor sensitive souls, nor children of the church. As they reveal themselves, they talk about drug abuse, sex, violence, murder, an extreme mafia mobster, a guy who falls in love with a prostitute, a maniac rapist; all beautiful and delicate.
I highly recommend listening to “Motherfaster”, as it sounds different from other releases of the genre and those three musicians know exactly what they are doing. There is no way you won’t be satisfied. Even if it’s a Greek production, it has nothing to envy from the bands abroad.