HOLY MOTHER is a Power/Heavy Metal band hailing from Long Island, New York. Formed in 1994, Face This Burn is their seventh full-length album and is set to release on January 22, 2021 through Massacre Records. As one of the first releases of the year, this is an early standard-setter. With plenty of heavy riffs and a good blend of melodic and Power Metal, to include use of multiple vocalists, there is a lot to like here.

The record opens with the title track. "Face This Burn" is a burner. With a complex drum beat and a bass rhythm on steroids, the guitar gets to just power through the song and blow you back into your chair. The song is heavy with some very interesting drops in tempo to highlight the heavy even better.

We then cruise into "Love Is Dead", that essential song you need when you realize your love is not the one, nor are they what you thought they were. Using more power metal phrasing through the body of the song, there is heavy as well. This is a beautiful blending of the two, showing a diversity and creativity borne of experience. The bridge shifts off to melodic, adding yet another element to this banger.

Moving on, "Legends" is that slower, sludgy song that just gets into your head and makes you groove. With bass leads taking a prominent role, this is a multi-faceted song that showcases the ability of HOLY MOTHER to work across genres and fit in wherever they want. "No Death Reborn" carries on this trend. The cool part about this song, though, is the intricate guitar work throughout, creating some awesome ambience.

Jumping down to track seven, "Wake Up America" is that song that you think might start off as a political statement, but it stays safely away from that. Instead, it lives more in the realm of an evil kind of guy ready to do some evil things. As stated at the end, "God help American dreams/ It's falling apart, falling apart". Not political, but still a little prophetic. Coincidence?

The final song that needs to be highlighted is "Superstar", a cover of none other than the CARPENTERS. Talk about a bold choice! Having heard the original version many times over the course of life, I can say I think they do justice to the song. The ethereal guitar work, the way the song kicks in for the chorus but remains fairly true to the tempo in the verses gives it a cool spin.

HOLY MOTHER hit the mark with this record. 2021 is just starting, and the bar has been set. This is a record that you play in a lot of different situations. Listen to it at full volume and jam, play it in the background while working out or cleaning house, whatever. There are a few good earworms here that get into your head and you find yourself humming later. Overall, this is a really good way to start off the new year. CHEERS!