[schema type=”review” name=”Grave Pleasures – Motherblood” description=”Label: Century Media ” author=”Basak Günel” pubdate=”2017-09-29″ ]
Grave Pleasures is a Finnish/British post-punk band. Hailing from Helsinki, this formation was previously known as Beastmilk and have released one debut album. After the line-up changes in 2015, the band changed its name to Grave Pleasures. After the release of the previous record “Dreamcrash” in 2015, the band is back with “Motherblood” which is out at the end of this month.
2017 has been a year with records that didn’t really excite me up until now. Just when I thought that my craving for something crazy and catchy would be left unsatisfied, Grave Pleasures dropped the bomb (I mean it though…) with “Motherblood”. Filled with catchy tunes and that freaky harmony of post-punk, pop and metal, the album will get you hooked from the beginning. As a matter of fact, I am surprised at how an album can start with that intense energy (“Infatuation Overkill”) and never loses any spark until the end. I have been spinning the record for a while now and I am getting more hooked with each spin. Every song is a masterpiece that will make you dance with the sunglasses but also will make you think. I also need to mention that as a person who is familiar with the band’s past, I can say that the band feels ‘whole’ and the contribution and soul of each musician can be felt in the album. From the drums to the bass, the album is a huge bundle of energy ready to explode.
Apart from the musical beauty of the record, the biggest highlight for me is the contrast of the dynamic songs vs. dark concepts. The apocalyptic themes are decorated beautifully with ‘happy’ tunes and the more you dig deep into the concepts and the lyrics, the darker the record gets… The album cover tells it all; the overall atmosphere is beautiful and enchanting but definitely dark and will make you shiver quite often. On top of it all, just when you think that an album cannot get more intense, the band surprises us with a song like “Atomic Christ” which features David Tibet (Hynopazuzu, Current 93). Those moments are definitely one of those peaks in a record like this.
“Fear, death, fantasy. Flesh, kiss, ceremony”… Apocalpyse and darkness have never been so beautiful. That’s it, “Motherblood” is my favorite of 2017. So happy to hear these guys back in business and they are better than ever! Get the album, dive into the darkness and get ready to dance!
Line-up:
Mat McNerney – vocals
Juho Vanhanen – guitars
Aleksi Kiiskilä – guitars
Valtteri Arino – bass
Rainer Tuomikanto – drums
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Tracklist: 01. Infatuation Overkill
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