The previously unknown Norwegian band MADDER MORTEM, with their new album, initially left me baffled, then threw me into shock, and finally plunged me into depression — which subsequently transformed into admiration. All these magical transformations of my consciousness were provoked by the unconventional, and often schizoid, music of this remarkable group. (Remarkable because it's thanks to bands like this that interest in music endures.)
After listening to the disc a couple of times, I spent the entire day in a depressive state, unable to understand why. It was all because the composition Evasions had plunged me into such a dark state of mind that identifying cause and effect was simply impossible.
But let's get closer to the music.
Drawing parallels when dealing with original musical content isn't entirely appropriate — any comparison will be far from the truth. The information I found online varied: some said it was gothic metal, some metalcore, some doom — people write all sorts of things. Let's put it this way: it's heavy metal with a leading female vocalist. There are some similarities here and there with LACUNA COIL, ORPHANAGE, SORG, and even THE GATHERING. GUANO APES could also be added to that list. But all these resemblances are merely episodic — light touches, reflections on water. The musical material is diverse, interesting, often schizophrenic, but not always driven. This is perhaps the biggest drawback of this release. The vocals deserve a separate mention — they are essentially another instrument in the band that does half the work in creating the atmosphere. The girl behind the microphone stand has a very emotional voice with a wide range.
It's hard to recommend this release to anyone specific, since there's never a unanimous opinion about such music. For me, listening to Desiderata prompted me to acquire MADDER MORTEM's previous album — but that's another story.