How could we resist sinking our teeth into Septem, the second album from Puerto Rican progressive quintet MOTHS? The band—Daniel Figueroa (drums), Jonathan Miranda (lead guitar), Mariel Viruet (vocals), Omar González (rhythm guitar), and Weslie Negrón (bass)—spreads its wings wider than ever on Septem, blending technical precision with raw intensity. With this release, MOTHS move away from the stoner- and psychedelic-rock-influenced hard rock of their debut, Space Force.
The acoustic, Americana-like intro initially sends us in the wrong direction. Even the jazzy drum patterns on the second track gave us pause—but within seconds, we were swept into a genre-bending whirlpool of metal. MOTHS seamlessly fuses gothic metal, black metal, doom metal and psychedelic post-metal with atmospheric synths, crafting a remarkable form of progressive heavy music. The new vocalist Mariel Viruet shifts effortlessly between clean, nasal singing and brutal grunts, bringing to mind Tamara Picardo’s growls in the Uruguayan gothic-black metal duo Upon Shadows.
Septem is by no means an easy serving of progressive mishmash. Its intricate song structures reveal layer upon layer of instrumentation, and the venture into heavier territories makes the guitars even more compelling with each listen. Though relatively short in duration, Septem delivers an impressive, chaotic journey through the seven deadly sins, blending innovative melodies with resonant, echoing aggression.
