Transubstans Records presents the fourth full length release from Swedish hard rock/metal act Mother Misery, titled Magalodon. Containing ten beefy, hard hitting yet melodic new songs, the quartet of John Hermansen (vocals/guitar), Stiff Hell (bass), Thomas Piehl (guitar), and Jimmy Lindbergh (drums) have created an album here with lots of appeal that is very easy to get into and enjoy.
Throughout Megalodon, the guitar work of Hermansen & Piehl has a thick, crunchy tone, and the riffs are inventive and memorable. The title track cuts a mighty swath, and the guitar licks teamed with a great vocal hook works wonders on the catchy tracks "Ashes of Your Crown" and "The Challenger". John's alternative rock/modern metal styled vocals soar over the heavy riffing on "Stained", and the raging "Into These Lies" takes an angrier tone, the rhythms tumultuous and the guitars full of mean intent. "Stone Cold Killer" even has some Thin Lizzy styled moments which are quite welcome. On the down side, there are also a few generic, angst ridden alternative styled pieces here that drag the album down a bit, such as "100 Eyes" and "Eyes of the Innocent", and the acoustic/folk based track "If You Fall" basically ends the album on a whimper, Hermansen straining to hit the high pitched vocals, though the guitar work is nicely done.
Overall, Megalodon is a solid enough album from a band that seem quite adept at writing catchy modern hard rock & metal songs, and there's enough on here that screams 'widespread appeal' to easily recommend.
Track Listing
01 The Challenger
02 Ashes Of Your Crown
03 Megalodon
04 Stained
05 Eyes Of The Innocent
06 Into These Lies
07 100 Eyes
08 Stonecold Killer
09 Down In The Dirt
10 If You Fall
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