Anthropos

Mother of God's debut album is named Anthropos, based on the original Greek meaning of the word: human -- by which one could argue that the Swedish four-piece is either appealing to everyman honesty or seeking to transcend just that with its music. Any guesses? Truth is, whatever the truth, Mother of God are only human...but since when is that a bad thing? Whether the group is peeling off urgent, riff-driven muscle cars like "230," "Graenslandet," and "Hoenan," or vaguely psychedelic dirges such as "Aim for the Sun" and "Windows," the abiding aesthetic commandeering Anthropos is one of Soundgarden fronted by Kyuss vocalist John Garcia, and, no, that doesn't mean the band simply sounds like Unida! In fact, new ingredients are continually added to the recipe as the album progresses, including somberly mellow vibes on "Adrift" and "Lucy" (think Mad Season), thrumming organ on "To Live," and then quasi-doom sloth/heaviness on "Something from Below." As the album's conclusion approaches, the inspiration game's final score is probably Seattle grunge 3 vs. stoner rock 2 -- in an upset, based on the initial nature of game play. But the fact is that actual winners and losers matter little or nothing at all, since Mother of God's entertaining obsession with both of these musical family trees ultimately makes winners of simpatico listeners of all stripes in the end. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia