The last time I reviewed Mother of Graves was their The Periapt of Absence album from 2024. That album made it onto my Year End List and cemented my admiration for these purveyors of all things Doom/Death Metal. Well, here I am on a rainy day, and I am here to testify that The Light that Keeps Us is another triumph. Dare I say, AOTY potential.
I’ve been holding my breath for this album, and rather than turn blue for my obsession, I purposely avoided any social media surrounding the release. That way I didn’t spoil it for myself. It worked out too.
Mother of Graves goes deep on The Light that Keeps Us. I thought The Periapt of Absence was a depressing album… Jesus Christ on a bicycle, I could actually feel a palpable sorrow overtake my body during my time with The Light that Keeps Us.
Going full-blown Doom wasn’t too difficult for these guys. There’s a thick miasma of My Dying Bride, Candlemass, and Cathedral that oozes from the speakers right away with “Wingless Soul”, an eight-minute deep dive into the depths of sorrow. The music is heavy as fuck, and the weight of the subject matter is palpable. The perfect opener for this album.
“Through the Pale Shade” is next, and the My Dying Bride influences keep coming out. I’m really getting AOTY vibes, but I don’t want to be premature. There are no fast-paced songs on The Light that Keeps Us. The Periapt of Absence had at least a few fast bits, but here there are none. Mother of Graves has fully embraced the Doom, and I’m all in on that shit.
The Light that Keeps Us looks and sounds phenomenal. A gargantuan amount of love was poured into this monster, and it shows in every note. The title track starts out with an isolated drum before the guitars start making themselves known. It picks up a little speed, sort of a Death Rock ‘ n’ Roll thing, and that main riff is a thing of beauty. I literally felt like my heart was going to break while listening to this album. It has this sense of emotion I haven’t heard since The Angel and the Dark River or even “The Sexuality of Bereavement”.
As the album soldiers on, “Eventide Angel” is such a good song; it’s got power in the riffs that other Doom artists should take note of. This is how it’s fucking done. “The Silent Weight of the Stars” has an infectious main riff that wraps itself around your eardrums and massages them. The pinch harmonic at the end of the riff is PERFECT.
Is there anything wrong with The Light that Keeps Us? Not in the slightest. “A Moonlit Tryst” and “The Beggar’s Allegory” are straightforward Doooom. The former mixes acoustic and electric guitars for maximum effect, and the latter has this fucking killer moment right in the middle of the song where you think they’re going to blast, but no — the speedy guitar leads into this huge double-bass pattern that is absolutely crushing. It works so much better than the easy route of discharge/blast.
“The Endless Climb” is the grand finale, the doomiest doom that has ever doomed before. It’s the perfect closer for this powerhouse album. Encapsulating a two-year process of recording and getting things ready.
If you’ve been feeling like your Doom meter is on the low end, then The Light that Keeps Us is the album for you, constant reader. Go forth and obtain.
