Mother of All – Global Parasitic Leviathan

Who has already encountered the Danish Mother of All? No one? No, me neither. Nevertheless, today the second album of this progressive death metal band is in front of me. What to do with it? Well, just play it, of course. On drums and vocals, we find the live drummer of Afsky and Myrkur – Mr. Martin Haumann – the other musicians are not immediately familiar to me by name or reputation. However, Mother of All actually originated as a musical project, with the debut Age of the Solipsist showcasing a collaboration between the aforementioned Haumann and musicians Steve DiGiorgio (bass), Frederik Jensen (guitars) and Clausvicious Balling (additional vocals). The debut was also mixed by Hannes Grossmann (Alkaloid, Triptykon, ex-Obscura, Hate Eternal, Necrophagist). According to the promo, the lineup for this album is the current stable lineup to produce the second album Global Parasitic Leviathan.

For a progressive album, this album is not only melodic but also quite aggressive in nature. This is attributed to Haumann’s vocals, a screaming growl that aligns more with the thrash genre than death metal. It must be said that he also occasionally dives into the deeper ranges with his voice. The drum work is of great class and precision. The melodic guitar riffs and leads add color and a lot of progressiveness to the overall sound. In just over forty minutes, a lot happens, but after a few initial listens, it is quite digestible. The band doesn’t overdo it and often tries not to make the songwriting too complex. And by less complex, I certainly do not mean less technical, as the musicians spare no effort to showcase their skills. For example, the atmospheric Debt Crush highlights the bassist in a solo moment and features extremely intense vocals and various wild guitar antics. Perhaps this track is the most progressive in the absolute sense of the word.

The band’s versatility is evident in the erratic and captivating Merchants of Self-Loathing. The guitars sound as hard as steel, the mix is intricately woven, and the drum patterns, fills, and short start-stop moments are exceptionally tasteful. After the technical opener Cosmic Darkness, all thrash enthusiasts will suddenly wake up when Corporate Warfare Leviathan pounds away with typical drumwork and accompanying vocals. Here, too, the guitar riffs provide the necessary progressiveness, without denying the ’80s school for a moment. I also have to fill in the thrash genre when working on the layout and annotations in the preparation of this review.

The Stars Already Faded clearly leans towards the melodic death side with its energetic drum rolls and staccato riffs. The screaming guitar leads are not far behind. It’s evident that Mother of All also has a sense of melancholy, both in the music itself and in the lyrics, which revolve around knowledge, uncertainty, science, confusion, memories, and forgetting one’s own life. The title Hypocrisy: Weaponized suggests that the band is showcasing a bit more aggression, which is partially true. We hear again the strong thrash cadence, but also various arrhythmic antics that we encounter frequently throughout Global Parasitic Leviathan. It seems like this track is working towards the earlier discussed Debt Crush, so progressive and jamming is the final phase. After multiple listens, I still consider this track one of the better ones on the album. However, the subsequent Merchants of Self-Loathing also leaves a considerable impression on me. Here, you can perfectly hear how the band switches between the aggressive beginning and the pronounced melancholic progressive final phase. These guys have an unbelievably strong sense of songwriting!

Monuments opens fiercely and possessed, with the drummer racing like a express train, making his vocal presence felt as well. Beastly tight and pounding on the door, while the bass remains remarkably audible in the mix. After about two minutes, there is more room for the progressive note, seamlessly interwoven with melodic death. Oh yes, and hints of that galloping thrash, of course, let me not forget to mention that. During the closing track Pillars, the band repeats everything, with a focus on melodic death, along with textual framing that appeals to your own morality and hope in troubled times. In addition to all the aforementioned elements, there is also plenty of room for blast beats and furious double-tracked vocal parts. In conclusion, I am particularly impressed with what is offered, in case you haven’t fully gathered that from my review. The combination of progressiveness, melodeath, and the thrash foundation is skillfully woven together on this Global Parasitic Leviathan. And it only fits to give these Danes a high score.

Score:

85/100

Label:

Eigen Beheer, 2024

Tracklisting:

1. Cosmic Darkness
2. Corporate Warfare Leviathan
3. The Stars Already Faded
4. Hypocrisy: Weaponized
5. Debt Crush
6. Merchants of Self-Loathing
7. Monuments
8. Pillars

Line-up:

• Martin Haumann – Vocals en drums
• Michael Møller – Bass
• Henrik Rangstrup – Guitar
• Frederik Øgaard Jensen – Guitar

Links:

• Mother of All
• Mother of All Facebook