Bands often have to rise from the ashes. Sometimes they have to change and evolve as they leave tragedy behind and forge a new path within the wilderness of emotions. Mother of Millions is one such group, and their new album Magna Mater was released through ViciSolum Records on October 4th.
Mother of Millions comes to us from Greece. The tragedy I mentioned was that of keyboardist Makis Tsamkosoglou, who passed away on stage in 2019. The band released an EP in 2022 called Orbit, which promised great things to come. The band decided to continue on without replacing Makis, so the lineup includes George Prokopiou on vocals, Kostas Konstantinidis on guitars, Panos Priftis on bass, and George Boukaouris on drums and keys. Antonia Mavronikola provides guest vocals on a few tracks.
There is something innately emotional about the band’s sound. On the surface, their music isn’t particularly unique; they play a fresh, modern progressive metal with elongated segments of atmosphere and haze. However, they play with such a spiritual, zealous vibe that it is easy to get lost within the trail of their tears and passions. George has a fantastic voice for this, hitting huge notes and providing deeply expressive moments that feel like the aching cries of sorrow itself. Yet, the band doesn’t play melancholy music; there is plenty of grit and heaviness to be found, and so all of this comes together in a fine balance.
The album has nine tracks, and I will admit that I wasn’t overly drawn to the singles. “Inside” and “Feral” both play as something heavier than their past work, and with more focus on riffs and groove. Over time, though, I’ve really come to like them, especially “Inside” with its vocal harmonies and stuttering main riff. Overall, I do find these songs, and most of the first half of the album, to be more similar to George Prokopiou’s other band, Poem (you should check them out, as well).
But the band hasn’t lost themselves, though this music has more edge. The title track has those hovering spaces I love so well, but right up against distant harsh vox and a dark ambience. Of course, “Celestial” hits the heights of what I’ve come to expect from the band; its huge chorus and gorgeous aura are a great way to end the first half of the album.
From here, I feel like the album hits an upwards trajectory. “Liminal” is wonderful with its breathy vocals and humongous keyboard sequences; “The Line” strikes a terrific balance between towering cinema, delicious piano, and groovy guitarwork—it has to be one of my favorites on the album. “Halo” again has the ethereal keys and just sounds so, so good.
The last two songs are my favorites, though. “Irae” is full of shoegaze goodness, but with darker shades and a monstrous last few minutes; this song has some of the quietest moments on the album, but also the heaviest. Finally, the closer “Space” is a shorter piece with charming melodies and whispery reservation. I love the piano, and I honestly wish the final cinematic minutes would go on for several minutes longer.
Mother of Millions is back and they haven’t lost the energy in their stride. They still have the emotion, the mist, and the passionate performances to back up their excellent songwriting, and this album feels like just the beginning—a new beginning. I expect even greater things as they move forward into uncertainty.
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The PROG Mind 