Mother of Millions – Magna Mater

Mother of Millions has easily become one of my favourite bands from Greece. Their previous album, “Artifacts” is one of the most immersive creations I’ve heard in prog metal, and the “Orbit” EP pretty much destroyed me emotionally. So I was looking forward to hearing “Magna Mater” but also expected some heavy emotions to come with this one as well. And I can’t say I’m surprised I was right. There seems to be a certain degree of depression and existentialism coming across through many Greek bands’ music.

“Magna Mater” is a very immersive and atmospheric album, but that does not mean it’s not heavy. Rather, all the heavy riff elements have a different purpose than you’d expect. They’re there to deepen the emotional experience rather than to bring energy. Some songs are more pumped up than others of course, ‘Feral and ‘Celestial’ bringing the faster tempos and groovier songwriting approaches, but the overall tone of the album remains doomy, contemplative and deeply immersive.

The production plays a huge part in the hypnotic effect that most songs have. Elements like vocal filtering, making certain elements sound closer or more distant, and additions of fuzzing effects in certain moments, all tend to create a sort of emotional haze and diffused attention that is both gripping and relaxing at the same time.

Mother of Millions – Inside

The music itself is primarily prog rock/metal, but it carries a strong element of doom metal as well as some moments of shoegaze and a lot of cinematic effects. Some songs are more proggy and groovy (‘Feral’, ‘Inside’), some are very atmospheric (‘The Line’, ‘Space’) and some go full on doom metal (‘Magna Mater’). Each song tends to showcase different talents that the band members bring to the table, but they are all also artistically in sync with regards to their overall mood.

The guitar and bass sound is quite massive and chonky but clear in production, and the drums sound very fat and thumpy. On a song like, ‘Inside’ or ‘Feral’ this will get you banging your head and noticing more of the instrumental details. There are some fabulous syncopated moments and drum transitions in there. But these elements also know how to take a back seat and let the vocals and keyboards shine (‘Liminal’, ‘The Line’, ‘Space’).

The ensemble of piano, synth and orchestral elements is probably the biggest factor that makes Mother of Millions’ sound unique and distinguishable. The piano parts often have a strange and crystalline sound, striking but serene at the same time (‘Liminal’, ‘The Line’). When synth effects and string sections or ingenious percussions are added on top of this, The soundscape becomes eerie and otherworldly. It’s somehow uplifting but sad at the same time.

Mother of Millions – Feral

Giorgios Prokopiou‘s vocals are also very striking on these moments. He can sound so soft, clear and melancholic when the songs call for it, and he delivers some killer head voice sections (‘Liminal’). But he truly impresses me when he brings his full volume forward which usually happens on the choruses, where the full band brings all the power. He’s also got a phenomenal scream, and he can seamlessly fade between different techniques.

As a favourite moment in the album, I have to spotlight the build-up towards the end of ‘Irae’, where the drum parts start using double pedals, guitars start galloping, vocals add more and more power, and the full soundscapes keeps increasing the tension, just to be instantly cut into silence. As a contrast, the album closer, ‘Space’, which comes afterwards, is the softest and most peaceful song on the album. The contrast between those two is really beautiful.

I love what they did with this album. I feel like doom metal listeners, prog listeners, shoegaze and post rock listeners can all come together and enjoy this one, and it would be a breath of fresh air for most of them. It’s a great example of a genre combination that feels natural and coherent. So if any of those genre labels appeals to you, wait no longer, and dive into ‘Magna Mater’.

Track List:

1. Inside (06:03)
2. Feral (04:10)
3. Magna Mater (05:41)
4. Celestial (04:11)
5. Liminal (04:32)
6. The Line (04:24)
7. Halo (04:04)
8. Irae (06:05)
9. Space (03:53)