Damned Blessing
Reverend Mother
In a free interpretation of the creation of human race as it's presented on the Bible, Eve wasn't created from the head of Adam to be his superior, nor of his feet to be his servant, but from his side, to show the equality and partnership that women and men must have. But even in Rock subgenres, macho culture still lives strong, and some comments that are heard are to be forgotten. Since Metal creation, the girls are delivering excellent works, and worthy of applauses, but some boys (not full growth men, once they have such way of thinking) still complain and emit opinions based on patriarchal culture. For them, it's hard to recognize the value of works as "Damned Blessing", of REVEREND MOTHER.
The music delivered by the trio is a form of early Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, full of psychedelic elements, but filled with energy and an actual musical embodiment, what means: it shows a musical work made of elements of the past, but with a modern care on the arrangements. And this crude and rough form of music is filled with charming melodies and sets of instrumental arrangements that improve the melodic aspects of their music (what enables everyone to understand and get in love with their work). It's not a form of Stoner Metal/Rock in the deeper sense of the genre, but's organic and really hard to resist. "Damned Blessing" was produced Davis M. Shubs, with sound engineering done by Josh Pannepacker, and Matt Qualls signs the mixing and mastering. And the efforts were done in a form to guarantee that the filth found on the songs could be an understandable aspect of the music, something that improves the organic feeling of the album. But always in a heavy, energetic and defined way, mind you.
One will find in this album a work that isn't simple to deal with, once there are many aspects of it that can disrupt the thinking form of many due its organic and spontaneous form of the songs of flowing from the speakers. But no one can deny the talent of moments as "How to Serve Man" (that's a filthy, oppressive and psychedelic Hard Rock, full of melodic hooks and with organic charm, especially due the simple technical work of the guitars), "Locomotive" (it's really a massive dose of a blend between charming melodies and a mastodonic weight, with abrasive ambiences and very good vocals), "Reverend Mother" and "Shame" (the 'sabbathic' way of being of these ones is really hard to resist, and the distorted bass guitar arrangements are reinforcing its bitterness), and "The Masochist Tie" (a deeper and dirty song, with a good drumming supporting the weighty tempos of this one). But one bit on the version for Britney Spears' "Toxic" reveals their talent, because they made of a Pop song a mammoth of weighty and filthy.
REVEREND MOTHER is just starting its sermon, so listen to the teachings spoken on "Damned Blessing" and enjoy it.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Damned Blessing" Track-listing:
1. How to Serve Man
2. Funeral March
3. Locomotive
4. Reverend Mother
5. Road to Lose
6. L.V.B.
7. Shame
8. The Masochist Tie
9. Toxic
Reverend Mother Lineup:
Jackie Green - Guitars, Vocals
Matt Cincotta - Bass
Gabe Katz - Drums
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