Album Review: Black Widow by In This Moment

Photo from YouTube

Words by: Savanah Ruiz

It is with a smile on my face that I tell you guys I have found yet another great band to add to my list, and they were right under my nose this whole time! In This Moment has been a part of my favorite genre for a while, and I had checked out their song Whore a while back (mostly because the music video had Chris Motionless) but I hadn't quite liked them. Then, I listened to their song Sick Like Me, and immediately felt the need to give them another look. I have to say, I love their new album, Black Widow, and it is definitely great if you're a "band girl" like me looking for some empowering lyrics and a good female vocalist. Maria Brink's voice is something unlike anything I've ever heard, and this album is its own entity. Overall, this is a dark album, and it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth checking out.

Track List & Comments

1. The Infection- This introduction is entirely creepy with it’s weird noises and Maria saying things like “Do you want to be afraid?” “I’ll make you make you feel alive”. Just super dramatic and interesting.
2. Sex Metal Barbie- This is a great first song and is pretty much Maria talking about her haters. This song is empowering to me, like a lot of other songs in this album, and of course I find it quite enjoyable. To me, this is Maria Brink’s saying you can talk trash and hate her as much as you want but at the end of the day you’re still screaming her name.
3. Big Bad Wolf- I like the imagery that comes with the big bad wolf references in the song, but underneath that it’s about the internal struggle of the parts of you that you like and the parts you don’t, and realizing they’re all key parts of you. This song has great guitar and drums and is a well structured song.
4. Dirty Pretty- I like the vibe of this song, and the lyrics are great since they’re about saying it isn’t all about the standards that society holds up to us, and it’s not all about what’s on the outside. I specifically like the lyrics “I’m more than you’ll ever see”.
5. Black Widow- Ah the title track… this song starts off with what sounds like an old tv show talking about the poisonous black widow spider, which already drew me in when I first heard it. This song is all over the place (in a good way) and makes me want to get up and move. I don’t know why, but I think this would be a great workout song.
6. Sexual Hallucination (feat.Brent Smith)- I quite like this song, especially with the guest vocals, and it’s definitely a great song. Now that I’m listening to it again, I feel this definitely belongs on a playlist with “Wasp” by Motionless In White. It’s sexual, it’s slow, and it just has a nice mood to it. Apart from the dependant lyrics, which is a love song trend that I very much dislike, this is a great song.
7. Sick Like Me- Before I review this song, I just want to say there is a Motionless In White remix of this that if you find you should definitely check out because it is great, which is saying something since I usually hate remixes. This is one of my favorite tracks off this album, and I can’t really explain why. This song is just a great track about taking control and being a little weird. There are also some great parts without vocals that make me want to headbang so that’s a plus.
8. Bloody Creature Poster Girl- This is another one of my favorite songs for it’s playful (and rather weird) lyrics. This song is about being different from the other girls, and in this song’s case, more sadistic.
9. The Fighter- This song is a great track about being your own savior and overcoming struggles without needing anybody. I think this song was beautifully carried out, and Maria’s vocals on this are just amazing. If I had to pick my favorite lyric from this song it would have to be “in your hate I found love”.
10. Bones- This song greatly juxtaposes “The Fighter” due to it’s dependant lyrics, comparing the person the song is mentioning to a “drug” and a “god”. This song is another interesting song that I like to listen to.
11. Natural Born Sinner- This song is an angry rant about people trying to judge and force their opinions on others. I find this songs to be great, along with being a very empowering songs because its about saying that people may judge you and hate on you for doing things they don’t agree with, but it doesn’t matter.
12. Into the Darkness- This interlude is brutal. It’s basically a voice telling Maria all these terrible things about her that you can assume to be her insecurities and she’s trying to defend herself and sounds like she’s just completely broken down, and even starts crying. This is the kind of thing that I see as a risk in the music business because she really is putting herself out there for the world to see not only in this interlude but in this entire album.
13. Out of Hell- This song is just so beautiful, and it even made me cry when I first heard it. This song is about people who lost their way and ended up in their own hell, but also says that you aren’t alone and will make it out. It’s a great way to end the album.