The curse of the mother is the reason for many legends and superstitions, even in our latitudes. True or not, many tremble before the anger of the mother whose child is endangered – at such moments she is ready to burn everything around her to the ground – uncompromisingly and without any scruples. And mother’s oaths, rumor has it, are the most dangerous and linger long after her in time, even when she is gone.

It is this moment sung by many folklorists that is also sealed in the foundations of the debut full-length album „A Mother’s Curse“ by the Danish legends STRYCHNOS, who since 1997 have been recreating pictures of real violence through their music, and which I am extremely glad to hear after 11 years of hiatus. The whole essence of the title is captured in the cover art by Daniel Corcuera: the motif is inspired by Niels Hansen Jacobsen’s 1892 sculpture „Death and the Mother“, depicting a young woman in a moment of ultimate tragedy and despair, the sculpture itself being inspired by the end of „The Story of a Mother“ – a story written in 1847 by the famous and beloved author Hans Christian Andersen, in which it reads „And Death walked with her child into the unknown land.“

An album illustrating tragedy, fury, true terror and at the same time – hope, reached peace and personal retribution.
Bringing to light their 25 years of old-school mastery, STRYCHNOS deliver a whirlwind of sweeping death metal-influenced  black metal that cuts through its demonically subjugating atmosphere. Dark and at the same time towering like a monument, „A Mother’s Curse“ delights the ear with heavy distortion and more atmospheric guitars, with well-defined bass. The vocals are at times deranged and seem to come out of a real demon, and after only seconds we can hear a monotonous speech or a clip from a movie in their place, everything passing smoothly and completely in context.
The pace throughout the length of the album varies, with the band definitely betting on the occult atmosphere, the burdensome and heavy mood – the musicians want to grab you by the throat with their music and leave you breathless for just over 40 minutes.
There is not a single weak song on the album, and at times we witness truly terrifying auditory experiences that completely immerse us in the atmosphere of the concept.

„A Mother’s Curse“ is a monstrous conceptual opus that transcends almost all established stylistic notions, delivering a terrorizing wall of harsh sonic veils and haunting messages. Cruel and uncompromising as a curse, STRYCHNOS return in full force, alongside the most ferocious darkness they are capable of. A darkness that Death herself would most likely envy.

The album will be released on November 4th through  Dark Descent Records, pre-orders are available here: https://bit.ly/3gv3qLW.

You can already here one of the tracks, „Horror Sacred Torture Divine“: