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Holy Mother: Face This Burn
Holy Mother - Face This Burn Album Art

Holy Mother: Face This Burn

Heavy Metal
3.0/5.0

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Massacre Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 13.01.2021 | Released: 22.01.2021

Eighteen years in the making, Face This Burn marks the return of Long Island's Holy Mother. Formed even longer ago, in 1994, today's Holy Mother reunites founders Mike Tirelli (vocals) and James Harris (drums) with new members Turrigenous guitarist Greg Giordano and Reverence bassist Russell Pzutto. Face This Burn is dedicated to the memory of their dear friend and former bassist Randy Coven with whom Holy Mother recorded six albums. Coven, who worked with Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Leslie West over the years, died in 2014.

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Holy Mother

My recollection and knowledge of Holy Mother is slim to none. But I do remember Mike Tirelli from his work with Messiah's Kiss, which has not released an album in seven years. I would describe the current Holy Mother metal as something betwixt classic and modern heavy metal (again not knowing what they sounded like 18 years ago). Their metal is dense, heavy, and sometimes seemingly cacophonous, yet with some underlying groove. Considering the rabid riffs and swift tempo in many songs, one might refine or embellish the description as modern thrash metal. Put both descriptions together and some might call this progressive metal.

For Tirelli's part he seems raspy, raging, and often often off the rails like he had his vocal chords removed and transplanted with sandpaper and roofing nails. There's almost a meaness or viciousness to his vocal timbre, something I don't recall from his Messiah's Kiss work. He sounds like he's really pissed throughout the album. As for Giordano's guitar work there's a certain fury to his riffage that matches the rage of Holy Mother's metal. But, it's his guitar solos that steal the show across this album, notably within Love Is Dead, Today, Face This Burn, and the rather frenzied execution within Wake Up America. If there's some exception to the fast and heavy, rage and thrash, it's the synth embellishment found within Prince Of Gardens and Wake Up America. But it doesn't make much difference. Yet, for something completely different, even a bit weird, there's Holy Mother's cover of The Carpenter's Superstar. Strange musical times, indeed. In the end, after a spin or two, I was simply ambivalent about Holy Mother and the harsh and raging metal of Face This Burn. Check out the video. You may have another opinion.




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The Bottom Line

In the end, after a spin or two, I was simply ambivalent about Holy Mother and the harsh and raging metal of Face This Burn. Check out the video. You may have another opinion.

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