'Molllust' is a rather special German formation since they merge two rather distant styles of music: metal and classical music. To give you some references that could come close to it, 'Therion' is undoubtedly one of the bands closest to metal opera 'Beloved Antichrist' composed by 'Christofer Johnsson' but we can also mention their compatriots from 'Coronatus' for the use of lyric singing, but also 'Haggard' and, of course, to a lesser extent, the unmissable 'Tarja ' who just released a "Best of" of his solo metal career. But back on topic, after 'In Deep Waters' from 2015, 'Molllust' released at the end of November 2022 a new studio recording where each composition is dedicated to one of the celestial objects constituting it.
It's a dense album that awaits you with almost 75 minutes of listening and, after the short epic instrumental introduction 'Cosmic Overture' which already presents this astonishing mixture between classical and electric instruments, his majesty the Sun unfolds a first title bringing us back to a classical music melody and it is in this style that the Germans approach 'Coronatus'. The suite is in the image of this beginning and the atmospheres deployed alternate power and serenity, the lyrical singing led by the duo formed by the soprano 'Janika Groß' and the singer 'Frank Schumacher' being always very expressive and totally in their role of opera character. We travel through different musical landscapes, moving from a powerful and epic 'Saturn – Human Clockwork' (see video above) to serenity of 'Venus – Poems of Love' (see video here) which develops memorable melodic lines, then the other stars parade one after the other with quite different atmospheres such as the evocation of the earth with 'Earth – Beauty of Diversity ' which alternates between energy and tranquillity within the very title, which well illustrates the diversity of our planet. In a more extreme style, we find 'Mars - The Game Is Over' (see the video here) with its imposing choirs and tempo almost military oppressive, then 'Mercury – The Desert Inside' shows a heavier face in the form of a slow procession, the vocal arrangements being sublime and 'Moon - Ostracised Companions' invites us to a walk in the moonlight. The rest of the album scrolls through a powerful 'Jupiter - When Divine Winds Rage' which well illustrates the strength of this gigantic planet, then, 'Uranus - The Butterfly and the Spider' is much catchier and offers catchy melodic lines which make it a very accessible composition. Follows 'Neptune - Wrath of the Sea' which is much more contrasted and which presents variations of intensities and rhythms throughout the title, bringing this feeling of integrating all the movements of classical music and 'Pluto - The Raven's Lullaby' (see the video here) ends the album in a classic opera atmosphere with a beautiful cohabitation between lyrical songs, instruments of orchestra and electric instruments.
In summary, even if 'Mother Universe' risks being reserved for an informed public who likes the bands I mentioned in the introduction to this column, the Germans of 'Molllust' are releasing a very beautiful opera metal and 'Mother Universe' is an intense and diversified musical journey wonderfully combining two styles that we don't usually hear together, metal, and classical music... | |
