In This Moment - Ritual

While I’m more on the apathetic side rather than the virtuously opposed side, Maria Brink’s use of provocatively sexual themes and theatrics in the band has never been the weakest aspect of In This Moment’s music. As cheesy as it often gets, anthems like “Whore” and “Big Bad Wolf” are enough to earn Maria my respect for her work as a metal vocalist. The problem on this album is not that it’s trying to be “serious” or gimmicky in any other way, it’s just that their drive seemed to be to continue to write catchy alternative metal songs with more conviction, and they just came short on nearly every track. It happens. While I worry that they may see this album’s lessened prominence as a referendum to return to corny sex-tease themes as a way of returning to form, I hope they’ll realize that just buckling down and trying to play more to their musical and lyrical strengths is what will bring about a more exciting album next time around. 

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