IN THIS MOMENT: Ritual (ALTERNATIVE METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Barbie lost in a world of freaks dear to a Rob Zombie, In This Moment has long been little taken seriously. However, through hard work and numerous tours, the Americans have gradually managed to combine commercial success with a more assertive personality than it seemed at first glance. Sealing an alliance with the powerful Atlantic, "Black Widow" confirmed in 2014 that the band definitely deserved better than the rather vulgar imagery conveyed by Maria Brink, her figurehead whose opulent chest is only equalled by her undeniable charisma, seeing the metalcore of the early days sliding towards a metal that is still modern and energetic but now with a more structured architecture.

Three years later, "Ritual" further underlines this maturity finally acquired and to which their detractors believed - wrongly - that it wouldn't reach. As a corollary of this happy evolution, never has the style shaped by Californians been adorned with such a dark make-up, even though joie de vivre is not a feeling that ever really figured in their palette. But instead of the decadent and sexually explicit universe of their previous albums, the singer and her band have chosen a more adult darkness this time round, inspired by a visit to Salem by the vocalist and her family in the autumn of 2016.

The singer has decided to show another facet of her personality as a woman, less seductive, more composed and sensitive. Religion and spirituality are among the themes of this sixth album, which is overwhelmed by heavy ambiences that make it less immediate than its predecessors, which some will no doubt regret, disappointed to see the panther purring rather than roaring, its claws (too often) retracted.

This sweet but always poisonous register, which works wonders on breaths such as 'Twin Flames' or 'No Me Importa', dictates a slower than usual score that leads to an amazing result in many ways, like the first single 'Oh Lord', which certainly bears the recognizable signature of its authors but nevertheless surprises by its reptilian finery and hypnotic curls.

Without putting away the riffs as big as high-voltage cables, it is however clear that the band decided to take care of the atmospheres and emotions to the detriment of an energetic power which in the end smoulders more under the surface than it propels compositions as lascivious as sinuous, though still catchy. Drowned under the effects, Maria's singing, rich in a myriad of nuances, perfectly symbolizes this mutation, in turn muffled or aggressive, even if it is less so than in the past anyway. You have to see her respond to Rob Haleford in this explosive, Billy Idol-inspired 'Black Wedding' to measure the extent of her vocal spectrum, reminding us more than ever of what a great singer she has (become).

If it can be confusing by its slowness and its choice to agglomerate her sweetest tracks at the end of the journey, "Ritual" remains nevertheless the most accomplished record of its creators, who multiply electro ('Joan Of Arc') or indus ('Witching Hour') arrangements, weaving a convulsive ('River Of Fire') and often adventurous theatrical weave which even pushes them to rub shoulders with Phil Collins's repertoire, of which they offer a very personal rereading of 'In The Air Tonight'.

In This Moment is not only the darkest album of their career, but above all the most elaborate and mature work of a band that has grown up. - Official website

IN THIS MOMENT

RITUAL

ATLANTIC RECORDS

ALTERNATIVE METAL