Altsounds - In This Moment – Forever [Single]

Taken from their second LP ‘Dreams’, the latest release from LA based ‘metalcore’ band In This Moment is the vicious and powerfully delivered ’‘Forever’.

Stereotypically metalcore in every single possible way, with restrained verses, galloping pre-choruses, melodically anthemic hooks, badass rock n’ roll guitars (too badass for the word ‘and’) and pounding drums it’s just a bit, well, outdated.

In my opinion, since music like this was rife and mid-puberty kids (including myself) wore badly printed knock-off band hoodies and massive chunky Vans, thing have moved on a considerable amount, so ‘Forever’ and indeed, In This Moment sound incredibly stale. Yes Forever (produced by the legendary Kevin Churko) is a well written, catchy song that will fester on the airwaves of alternative radio stations and will no doubt drum-up quite a young following for the band, as well as sound impressively intense live, but that does not mean that we have not heard anything like it before. Seriously lacking in individuality, imagination and a certain spark that that shows a glimmer of hope for many young bands, it’s difficult to imagine In This Moment becoming as popular as predecessors such as the likes of Evanescence. “Wait a minute, are you just saying that because they both have female vocalists? That’s like, well sexist! You disgust me”.

Yes, yes I am.

The reason why I make this comparison is because I, like the majority of music consumers, do not care if a band is predominantly male or female, but if a female vocalist’s main purpose seems to be served as a marketing hook then I won’t buy it; hence the Evanescence comparison. That is not to say however, that both Amy-Lee and In This Moment’s Maria Brink aren’t up to standard, because they are both undeniably fantastically capable vocalists that can boast of a power and range that many of the world’s most successful pop-stars often lack. However, when you see the that front cover of Forever features JUST Maria in a low-cut dress, lifting her skirt to show a bit of leg, then you can’t help but to become slightly skeptical. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the press shots for the band see Maria singled out dressed in white as every other member is in the background in white; I understand that marketing is a VERY important part of the music business but for the purpose of proving my point here, need I go on?

With a busy summer of Download, Warped Tour and numerous other festivals lined up, In This Moment perhaps should enjoy their fame while it lasts, because in my opinion, they are already pushing their luck by offering the world a genre of music that died a while ago, for very good reasons.