AN NCS PREMIERE: WIDOW’S PEAK — “MOTHER MISERY”

 

There is no shortage of death metal bands whose aim is to inflict brutal punishment while showing off their speed and technical dexterity, but some are obviously better at it than others. Widow’s Peak from Calgary, Alberta, Canada are one of those groups who stand out from the pack, and the song we’re premiering today provides abundant evidence of that.

The name of the track is “Mother Misery“, and it comes from the band’s new EP, Graceless, which will be released on April 27th. It provides an inventive display of breathtaking destructiveness married to kaleidoscopic, head-spinning instrumental performances, and further reveals an unconventional taste in melody that makes the song even more fascinating.

 

 

Of this track in particular, the band has commented: “‘Mother Misery‘ combines tribal beats with exotic tonalities into sections that are as technical as they are groovy. The mid-tempo pulse of the verses is contrasted by the slow, hazy rhythmic sections toward the end and the bursts of technical leads from the guitars. The tongue-twisting lyrics are spit faster than can be comprehended upon first listen.”

All of that is accurate, but there’s still more to be said about the song. In broad strokes, it’s complete balls-to-the-wall mayhem, mostly rushing ahead in the red zone, from the barrage of percussive tumult to the mutilating riffs and the deranged, insectile leads. And to add to the feeling of lunatic savagery, the bullet-spitting vocals veer from monster roars to banshee shrieks.

But the band also incorporate pile-driving grooves that, along with the their technical proficiency and the vacuum-tight integration of their component parts, keep the song from jumping completely off the rails. And perhaps most intriguing are the recurring bursts of melody, which sound almost like horn fanfares from the era of big-band music.

 

If you like what you hear in this song as much as I have, there’s one more previously released track you can check out below our stream of the newest one. The EP is available for pre-order now at Bandcamp.

TRACK LIST:
1. Debt Collector (3:47)
2. CBT (3:47)
3. Overseer (2:02)
4. Headless (2:58)
5. Mother Misery (3:34)
6. Graceless (3:25)
EP Length: 19:35

Pre-order:
https://wpdm.bandcamp.com/releases

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/widowspeakdm/