Location: Manhattan, New York
Country: USA
Genre: Gothic rock, pop
Full length: HEX
Format: Digital album, limited edition CD (300 copies)
Label: Distortion Productions
Release date: March 8, 2024
Metamorph appears to be your usual gothic synth electro industrial darkwave, or however you want to phrase it, yet closer listening reveals something older, more tenebrous, and much more primal about this project.
Since working in her former band The Plague, founding member Margot Day has established a raw, distinct type of sexuality via her lyrics, impressions that are felt rather than heard. Brynn Kali StarDew complimented her cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Spellound" and was excited to discover the following songs on the EP "SpellBound Empress". When I interviewed her in 2018, she described her music as passionate, intense, full of struggle and inspiration, blended with love and mysticism; also distinctive and cutting-edge, suitable for performances at festivals, pubs, theaters, and art galleries.
The significant differences between “HEX” and most other experimental synthpop are a deep, pervading sense of traditional myths and legends associated with magical/supernatural forces, and the way these are reflected in the accompanying music. This touch of mystery permeates the songs like mist hovering over a lake, perhaps the lake of Arthurian legend. The lighter and darker sides of nature and human nature evoked my first exposure to witchcraft’s long ago origins and contemporary practices. All the while demonstrating how creative music can still exist in the city.
This album with its wide range of instrumentation and sensation seems to personify that metaphysical world and New York City culture in a nutshell, consistently generating its own vitality in a realm that’s still untouched by the outside world. The barrier between our world and the world within is thinner than you might assume, with the mystical, passionate, and unique appearing limitless and throbbing with energy. Perpetually reaching out, perpetually calling and perpetually part of our world. Introducing us to something as real as what we know to be reality and giving rise to a new era of life and awareness.
“HEX” is also distinguished by the balance created by conventional guitars and bass, a balance of electronic and organic themes that are somewhat uncommon in similar projects. The strings, keyboards and programming work nicely together to add varied nuances and subtleties. If you appreciate Sisters of Mercy, Nine Inch Nails, Dead Can Dance, and Lacuna Coil, there's a lot to see here. And you'll discover in this project unexpected levels of innovation and uniqueness. –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Margot Day: Vocals, flute, lyrics
Julifer Day: Additional vocals (tracks 4, 6, 7, 8)
Erik Gustafson: Guitar, bass, synth, beats
Track list:
1. Veridia
2. Witchlit
3. HEX
4. Woo Woo
5. Raining Roses
6. Broken Dolly
7. Wasteland Witch
8. Whore Spider
9. Woo Woo (Assemblage 23 Remix)
10. Veridia (Grendel Remix)
11. Woo Woo (Moris Blak Remix)
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