Some albums make me sad, even when they seem to be a call for unity and solidarity. The new Mother of Millions album is called T. That’s it. That’s the title. But the lyrics are a heart-aching reminder of the modern world. The album released on September 11th.
The band hails from Greece. They’ve been through their fair share of tragedy. But this album evokes it on a larger scale. The current lineup includes George Prokopiou on vocals, Kostas Konstantinidis on guitars, Panos Priftis on bass, and George Boukaouris on drums. You’ll notice the glaring lack of keyboards, which were always a huge part of their sound.
Why is that? Well, not to dredge up past trauma, but keyboardist Makis Tsamkosoglou passed away on stage in 2019. They did not replace him. Instead, they’ve gone heavier and maybe more alternative, leaving behind progressive metal somewhat. I’d still put this album in that genre, but it definitely prioritizes emotion over technical prowess. They also brought with them Dimitris Anastasiou and Nikos Milas on violin, Antonia Mavronikola, Sofia Kamina, and Emi Path on backing vocals, and George Ravaya on spoken words. Their contributions break up the riffs and distortion, adding melody, cinema, and even more emotion.
This is a fascinating record. It features excerpts and adaptations of poems from Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Odysseas Elytis, and Yiannis Ritsos. It is desperately anti-war, maybe not exclusively in the physical sense, but definitely primarily. And I think we’ll see more of this as the world races towards more and more violence. Europe is on edge, and it’s bleeding through their music.
The record still manages to be catchy and accessible, even when it is so emotion and centered on home. It has ten tracks, and they tend to flow into each other both musically and thematically. We start with “The Wound”, an expressive and dynamic opener that will leave you haunted. “The War” follows with a spacious, slowly building atmosphere that explodes into backing vocals and hovering emotions at the end.
And so the album continues. “The Aftermath”, “The Innocent” are both heavier pieces with lots of backing vocals, some electronica, and confidence. I like how they build to “The Ascent”, more of an atmospheric piece. It has no lead vocals, instead featuring spoken word and choir vocals, plus a huge dose of cinematic strings. It is a major emotional climax for the album.
The second half of the album feels quite regional and ethnic in its melodic motifs. The short “As One” demonstrates this as it leads into “The One”, one of the heaviest and most confident portions overall. It’s quite stirring. “The Circle” and “The Sun” follow and are two of my favorites. The former is full of feeling, focused more on ambience and rhythm, while the latter is heavier and riffy. You’ll hear heartbreaking strings, darker voiceovers, and a tender and gorgeous finale. It’s so full of hope but makes me cry. “Death” is basically just the outro, a touching ambient piece with final words for all the world.
Look, this isn’t an easy album to digest, not when my stomach is so nauseous from world events on a daily basis. T is gut-wrenching at times, at least for me, and the music reflects that with a heavier sound and cinematic climaxes. It’s a beautiful and sad album, though it is also full of courage. I hope you’ll check it out.
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