MAS-hope

Mord'A'Stigmata - "Hope" (Album Premiere)

In stressful times sadness feels inefficient. Anything other than concentrated anger and grim determination seems like wasted energy. Wearing a theatrical tragedy mask isn’t going to stop the boot from stomping on your face, now or forever.

That macho stance towards a legitimate human emotion isn’t one that can hold for long stretches of time, however. This is why certain strains of extreme metal are valuable in times of need. Humans need to feel terrible sometimes, to grapple with bad vibes head on. Poland’s Mord’A’Stigmata have a safe solution. Their new album Hope, not to be confused with the Swallow The Sun album of the same name from 2007, lets you stew in your poisoned juices for a solid hour, and then lets you dry off without taking the weight of sadness with you.

Hope alternates between the kind of moroseness that it’s namesake traded on, and a meaner, uglier style of mid paced black metal. It’s a much less blasty affair than 2013’s Ansia. They seem more confident at this reserved pace, and slowing down has allowed them to get creative with texture and duration in a way they haven’t before. Mord’A’Stigmata have matured a great deal as songwriters. Their leaps of faith can still be a little jarring, but they land each section on their feet and their deviations have never felt as nuanced as they do here.

It’s a good thing too, because Mord’A’Stigmata ride pretty hard on some of these riffs. Some of the best moments on the record come from lengthy repetition, like the bridge of “The Tomb from Fear and Doubt”. Whether or not each section they settle into works for you, the repetition turns Hope into a sauna. They sweat you out of your dread by smothering you in it.

Stream Hope below, in advance of it’s release on February 17th via Pagan Records. Follow Mord’A’Stigmata on Facebook.

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