MOTHERNIGHT is a four piece band that was formed in 2000 by the guitarist Deimos and bassist Gabriel in Warsaw of Poland. They had the idea of mixing different music styles from metal to dark wave and gothic into a unique blend. While being in writing/recording process they were searching of some regular members in order to put together a solid lineup.
Three years later Berith took the sit behind the drum kit when the quest for a singer finally came to end in 2004 in the face of Mrs. Freya. The four musicians entered the studio (actually they went in two different ones, Hard and Efektura) where they produced the band's first full-length album by themselves. Locomotive Records was impressed by the work of the Polacks and offered them a records deal that eventually lead to the release of the homonymous album.
Despite the fact that they self-produced the album the production is top notch with a crystal clear sound where the melody of the female vocals are perfectly combine to the low-tuned and distorted guitar riffs. There are some resemblances to the prime works of THE GATHERING especially in the up-tempo tracks like Infect Your Soul or Don't Wanna Listen and to STREAM OF PASSION's melodic patterns. The album really shines during the slower tracks where the band builds a really strange dark atmosphere enriched by some bizarre electronic sounds and samples like in the track Waiting To Die.
Adding to the above, MOTHERNIGHT implemented some non-metal instruments and some original guitar effects that add greatly towards music diversity. The excellent track Ressurect Me comprises all of the aforementioned elements and some flute tunes that top things off making the surprise from Poland even bigger. Freya has a really wonderful voice that can be either aggressive or soft according to music's demands as it can be obvious in songs like Hunger or the almost avant-garde Shadowsblack. She is really the icing on the cake taking MOTHERNIGHT's music into a higher level.The last track of the album is kinda secret (It comes after a long silence) and is the cover version of SHAKESPEARE'S SISTERS's Hello.
This is an impressive piece of work that really needs a special treatment since it is not a pure metal album that takes the listener through different music undiscovered territories. Additionally, don't waste your time thinking of the proper musical tag to put on the CD and stick into the music itself. It works much better this way, trust me.