Having followed Mother of Six practically since their inception, Wrexham’s finest (and possibly only) space rock/doom metal band have slowly coalesced into a powerful force and are now churning out psych rock anthems that betray a cunning knack of song writing. Following on from their debut album, released last year, this EP is a stop gap of songs demonstrating their abilities at tackling a wide range of styles.
Opening track ‘Children of Mars’ is the most accessible here with its pounding riffs demonstrating a keen ear for all things doom. It chugs along at a breathless pace with the melodic vocals guiding it ever on to further regions of darkness. Drums beat out a ceaseless pattern as the music guides us on a sub-Sabbath journey into the nether regions of rock. A classic tune in every sense, this is the perfect opener.
‘Oes’ follows, sung in Welsh (which I can’t decipher). It is a slower affair with emphasis on heaviness and add a neat follow on from the pure rock that it follows. This is then surpassed by ‘Charlemagne’ which in a leftfield turn is almost acoustic in its delivery and shows how far Mother of Six have progressed with their sound. A few years ago this song would have been unthinkable from this band with its melodic structure offering an almost singalong feel.
Finishing this EP is ‘A Fo Ben Bid Bont’ which is the heaviest thing they have recorded to date. A nine minute odyssey into space rock, structure is thrown to the wind as riffs heavier than lead mix with drums from hell. Vocals wail as we are flung into the abyss and swirl about in the vortex. Indescribable at times, it will be interesting to see how this one turns out live.
On this reckoning, Mother of Six have set their stall out for their future music. From humble beginnings as a rather good doom band, they have developed into space rock and are not afraid to take experiments into regions they have never travelled before. Catch them at this early stage, you will not be disappointed.
Released October 31st on AdeRock Records.
Posted by Martyn Coppack.
