The marriage of old traditional English murder ballads with the funereal despair of doom metal makes such obvious sense, it is a wonder not more artists have turned their creativity towards it before. On their debut EP Cut Down For The Earth, Londoners Cruel Mother (also an alternative name of one of these ballads, and a long-time personal favourite) entwine the pair together as if they were always meant to be.
At the heart of every track is that timeless piece of music, one that has endured for centuries. The tune and the lyrics have been passed down through the generations, refined and reforged in each retelling, finding another lease of life in this latest version. Songs like this survive because they adapt easily to most instrumentation, and the big distorted guitars of now suffuse the gloom of these vicious tales with the darkness their lyrics warrant.
The violin weaves its way around the tapestry too, alternating between adding depth and carrying the melody, in the process creating a link from the past to the present. Herein lies the brilliance of Cut Down For The Earth, the melding of these elements into something so familiar, yet also rather unique. Despite some of the yarns being more recognisable that others, it still all induces fervent headbanging in the moment, and enduring earworms long after.
Cruel Mother have crafted something truly wonderful with this first release, and have opened themselves up to such a rich, deep well of inspiration that promises to be far more than a quick flash in the pan. Neither side of the equation in Cut Down For The Earth might be new, but this beautiful combination of the two brings such joy in its fresh perspective – exactly as each new iteration of these fables should do.
