Vicious World by MyChildren MyBride (EOne / Good Fight Music)

Vicious World by MyChildren MyBride (EOne / Good Fight Music)

There has always been something mystical and otherworldly about the extreme music of MyChildren MyBride – whether it was their Southern origins, social media presence, or their spiritual leanings, the intriguing music spewed forth by this collective has always been absolutely captivating. From their legendary and much sought after independent debut After The Heart Of War in 2005 through their Self-Titled manifesto in 2012, MyChildren MyBride smashed through the boundaries of the so-called “Christian metalcore” genre much in the same way their predecessors Zao and Norma Jean had done. It’s been five long years of silence, but now in the year of 2017, MyChildren MyBride has returned with an all-out vengeance, unleashing their Vicious World magnum opus via EOne / Good Fight Music.

Right off the bat from the word (and first song) XeNo, it’s pretty damn obvious that the core membership of MyChildren MyBride do not appear to be concerned with genre conventions. The next track is Act I: Elysium features a dynamic guest vocal appearance from none other than Tyler “Telle” Smith of The Word Alive. Vicious World then continues on with its auditory maze, unleashing diverse cuts such as Thorns, The Acrobat and The Fountain leaving vibrantly lingering impression.  And the screams of “Nightwalker! Night stalker!” found within the track I.O.U.N. will absolutely chill the listener with its ferocious intensity.

A stunning surprise arrives towards the end of the album with the EDM inspired KevlAr, featuring an appearance the enigmatic Trav Piper. The compelling soundscapes emerging from the Vicious World experience could be categorized as black metal, deathcore, hard rock or whatever suffocating classification comes to mind, but the amalgamation of genres is nothing short of mesmerizing.

The core duo of founding vocalist Matthew Hasting and longtime guitarist/songwriter Robert Bloomfield have really set the imagination in flight with their sonic tapestries. Dark, relentless, unsettling, and ultimately inspiring, the sonnets found within Vicious World unveil the next great chapter for the transcendent entity known as Mychildren Mybride. They’ve made quite a journey since their early days on Myspace, and with the arrival of Vicious World, Mychildren Mybride seem ready and willing to launch their cosmic rage into another spiraling decade and beyond.

“Revolution, revolution – all I know is that we need a solution!” Hastings passionately screams on the track CICVDVS. Well, that solution has arrived in the form of Vicious World by MyChildren MyBride and it’s an exquisite exhibition of sonic artistry not to be missed!

(Review by Ken Morton)

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