Mother Corona - Reburn (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 6/10/2014

Label: When Planets Collide

“Reburn” CD/DD track list:

1). Cut the rope

2). Wax

3). Black acid morning

4). Reburn

5). Dead Space

6). Preacher

7). Vertigo terror

8). Hangover

9). From me to Nowhere

10). Stone cold universe

11). Sunseeker

12). Master bizarre

13). Ashes we leave

14). Enough time spent

15). Lily Mae

The Band:

Lee Cressey | Guitars

Dave O. | Vocals, Drums

Rob Glen | Bass

Review:

My first encounter with Mother Corona was with the sadly now defunct (for next year) FOAD Fest, earlier this year in Manchester. On that afternoon, the Oxford trio played with so much passion and vigour that they were undoubdely one of my highlights of the weekend. To hear that they had an album due meant that I couldn’t miss it.

“Reburn” is a colossal album that sprawls and jams for nearly eighty minutes. If nothing else, they don’t sell their fans short. Opener, “Cut The Rope”, has a superb sludgy riff, some punishing drumming and vocals that evoke more than a whiff of Billy Corgan circa “Siamese Dream”. “Wax” follows with a rolling drum introduction and a slower tempo that could have slid off of any Orange Goblin record. The middle section of “Wax” gets particularly trippy with some serious wah-wah effects employed. For a three piece, the band really makes a massive racket!

“Black Acid Morning” opens with some frenetic guitar shred before the bass drops and allows the track to become an up-tempo stomper. At a little over three and half minutes the track is one of the shortest here. The albums’ title track has a swagger and groove that would make even the shyest of people feel the need to shake a little. “Dead Space” is around seven and a half minutes, and for the most part the pace is relentless, but the closing strains have a huge anthemic and shoegaze feel to them. The band shows a good knack for employing different styles when you least expect it. This makes the lengthy duration seem far from arduous.

“Preacher”s riff is a dirty little bastard and drives another short and sweet rocker. A small interlude in the form of “Hangover” breaks up the two halves of the album before more pummelling rock and roll keeps the album ticking along superbly. “From Me to Nowhere” is another Pumpkin’s style tune, whilst “Stone Cold Universe” has a hefty tempo and some stunning lead guitar work.

“Master Bizarre”’s closing tempo is an addictive chug before a solid neck wrecker of a riff and “Ashes We Leave” uses fuzzed up bass lines and distorted guitars in a repetitive fashion as the vocals take a back seat. The lead, again, is stunning. The album closes out with Lily Mae, which is a melancholy affair and rounds out the album beautifully.

Mother Corona’s “Reburn” is a solid effort. Perhaps it is a little lengthy, but that depends on which side of the fence you fall. You can see it as a band, not selling people short and showing their chops and not being afraid to do so. Or you can see it as over indulgence. A nice mix of the two works perfectly in many situations. Whatever your stance is, give this record a go. The band, in my small experience, are great live; and have put together a record that can only lead to bigger and better things.

9/10

Words: by: Dom Walsh

You can pre-order/buy a copy here

For more information:

https://twitter.com/MOTHERCORONA
http://www.last.fm/music/Mother+Corona
http://www.youtube.com/user/MOTHERCORONA

https://www.facebook.com/mothercorona