The eighth studio album from L.A’s In This Moment opens with a solo kick drum, reminiscent of a heartbeat which continues until the snarling vocals take over and The Purge, the first single from the album, begins. Brink’s vocals seamlessly transitioning from dark melody to visceral screams, paired with the band’s unmistakeable industrial sound make this an instantly unforgettable opener.
What follows is a slightly more experimental outing for the band as they utilise new techniques and collaborators to evolve their sound. This is the first album since 2008’s The Dream that has not had Kevin Churko as producer, instead opting to enlist his son, Kane to produce it. Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills, provides guest vocals for the conversational back and forth of Damaged, dealing with themes of PTSD and self-doubt.
Several tracks on the album were also co-written with producer/composer/musician Tyler Bates, with I Would Die For You being the first track written for and released as part of the soundtrack for John Wick: Chapter 4.
The influence of 90’s artists such as Tool, Nine Inch Nails and the Prodigy runs through the veins of this album and is especially evident in tracks like Sacrifice, which shares the DNA of many of these. Continuing with that train of thought is a storming cover version of Army of Me by Bjork, which incidentally also features on another movie scored by Tyler Bates, Sucker Punch.
Being the band’s first studio album post-pandemic it would seem to indicate the direction and sound going forwards for them. If this album is any indication, then the future certainly looks to be incredibly exciting, providing a fresh new sound for fans and new.

Originally published in https://issuu.com/chicfestivals/docs/issue22-november-2023-issuu-small