Review | Holy Mother – Rise

Massacre Records

From the roaring 90s to today, American power metallers Holy Mother have constantly delivered electrifying power metal with insane hooks and memorable melodies. Their release `Rise’ is their most varied offering containing numerous hymns such as ,,Power”, ,,Fire”, ,,Rain” and ,,Jeremiah”, alongside the powerful title track itself. Guaranteed you are in for some serious fist-pumping and headbanging. With the revitalized `Toxic Rain’ classic rouser ,,Live to Die” the band honors their late founder Randy Coven in style.

ROCK-SOLID MELODIC TRACKS

From the scorching opening riffs of ,,Fire”, Mike Tirelli’s soaring vocals evoke the legendary Ronnie James Dio, while Mickey Lyxx‘s blistering guitar work sets the sonic landscape ablaze. The thunderous rhythm section, driven by James Harris‘ powerhouse and versatile drumming alongside Wayne Bank‘s blazing bass lines, provides the unrelenting foundation for this metallic onslaught.

Yet amidst the ferocity, an ethereal beauty emerges through angelic chants and tastefully woven strings, lending a haunting luster to the rock-solid melodic tracks. This duality between brutal force and sublime elegance reaches its apex on adrenaline-fueled anthems like ,,Power” and the band’s dynamic remake of their classic ,,Live to Die,” which stomps forward with unrelenting pace.

In the end, the group’s ‘balls to the wall’ power metal credentials are undeniable, forging an exhilarating musical experience. The album is an onslaught of molten riffs, thunderous rhythms, and soaring vocals that make the metal Gods weep. 

BLACK SABBATH

Droning lower with daunting riff and bass interplay, ,,The Elevator” and ,,Rain” pack tremendous power, albeit somewhat restrained, with rousing melodic chants erupting during the choruses. Tirelli’s crooning vocals set ,,Jeremiah” in motion with a creeping, slow Black Sabbath-esque tone before cringing up to the bridge, where he brings harmonized vocals to the fray while roaring out the refrains.

A similar agonizing tenure is found on the excellent ,,Interventionist”, with its blistering solo and jagged riffs returning the track to blistering form as Tirelli belts out tortured pitches, crying “Do you believe there’s a God?!” The kaleidoscopic vocal gymnastics expected on these tunes are saved for ,,Rise,” which blends hypnotizing cleans with raw, low growls as the song crawls forward, spawning darkness with Tirelli constantly reshaping his delivery. The drum dynamics constantly shift with simple hooks and progressive rolls executed to increase the song’s exquisite structure.

HEAVY RIFFS AND DOOM-LADEN TONES

Lyxx displays his insane guitar qualities with sterling heavy riffs and doom-laden tones, while bringing fresh licks and solos to the forefront. Utilizing whammy-laden loose hand playing, he sets ,,Down” in motion with a funky metal-styled bass and guitar groove over which Tirelli’s metallic vocals soar. The vocals phrase into towering melodies and blunt, short bridge-chorus concoctions.

Scaling back the funk, the bass intensifies with a low growl in heavy metal style to pull the ominous ,,Hex” forward. The bass licks and drums lay the foundation underneath Mike’s vocals, with the vocal offload and bridge reminiscent of Vicious Rumors’ `Digital Dictator’ era, while the whammy-weeping solo is simply rip-roaring.

HOLY MOTHER – THE CONCLUSION

`Rise’ stands as a testament to the illustrious discography of Holy Mother, a towering achievement that contains all of their signature ingredients atop a foundation of musical marksmanship. With Mickey Lyxx’s fretwork blazing red-hot and Wayne Bank’s thunderous bass lines aptly filling the giant shoes left by the late Randy Coven, the group has delivered a collection of true heavy metal anthems, each one bearing the unmistakable stamp of classic US power metal carved into its metallic armor.

It is nothing short of a Headbanging Resurrection

Release date: 7 June 2024