Without a doubt, it can be said that the South Bohemian band MATER MONSTIFERA (hereinafter referred to as MM) is already a traditional fixture of the domestic hard metal scene, and moreover, they are not a small group, but in my opinion, the most successful and best band dedicated to melodic (atmospheric, if you will) black metal in the long term in the Czech Republic. This band, based in Trhové Svine, has been operating since the summer of 2000, so at the time of publication of the article, they will almost exactly complete 17 years of their existence. It is true that when it comes to releasing regular CDs, the band is not that active (although perhaps not for everyone) and this year they only came out with their third regular album (of course, MM has a few other different shorter media in their discography, whether it is a demo, mini CD or EP), which they called "Prison of Bizarre Gods", and which was released after a long six years since the previous album "Na zrcadlech lží".
Anyone who follows MM's musical career closely will surely know that the gap between the two regular albums was partially filled by the EP "V troskách Tvýho světa" from 2013, which introduced three new members to the band for the first time, namely keyboardist Denisa, drummer Ondra and, above all, singer Štěpán, which I dare say was probably the most fundamental change for long-time fans of the band. If there is anyone among the readers who missed the aforementioned material for some reason, they don't have to be sad at all, as all three songs are also recorded on the current CD. It probably wouldn't make much sense to comment on these three things again in more detail, since I have already adequately expressed my opinion on them in the review of the aforementioned EP, so I would just briefly add that even after a few years since I first heard them, I still like them a lot (maybe even a little more /smile/), the most of them probably being "Seven Sins". At that time, I also made a statement that - "if MM are able to add more, let's say six or seven, songs of at least the same quality, if not even better, to this mess, I will reach the very top of the rating scale with my assessment of their next album." Maybe the band really listened to me a little bit, because they prepared six brand new compositions (including one instrumental) for the aforementioned trio, which we have the opportunity to play on this carrier. While listening to the opening two songs "Oceán štínů" and "Zězení bizarních bohů", I was still warming up a little, which could also be due to the fact that I had not had MM music on my player for some time, but with the arrival of the trio "Neskryvej třáč" I finally managed to tune in to the same note with South Bohemia (and one Central Bohemia, of course /smile/). This feeling of mine was immediately intensified by the already proven hit "Dál v nebi bloudím" followed by other
masterpieces "Touches of Eternity" and "Sedm hříčů", in which Radek Popel helped out with the vocals. These are, in short, exactly the gems that I expect from the band and want to hear from them. (smile) The metal cut is diversified by the relaxing instrumental "La Cara Oculta", in which keyboardist Denisa dominates with her instrument. It is followed by the songs "Srdce vzkříšené ohněm" and "V troskách Tvýho světa", which are the best upgrades of the entire album.
The presented music is mostly the work of guitarist Yvor (as it always was), who is complemented by the full band in the final version. As for the Czech lyrics, they are the work of singer Štěpán and also Yvor.
The album was recorded again in the Prodigy Sound studio in České Budějovice, which is clearly a proven success for the band, with Jirka Drdák, assisted by MM drummer Ondra Bílek. Together, they not only recorded and mixed it, but also participated in its production. A small change from the past is the fact that the mastering took place in the Brno studio Sonidos.
The CD cover is the work of German artist Jochen Schilling, Jiří Kutheil also participated in the design of the booklet and its graphics, and Karolína Ryvolová is the author of the band's photographs. Of course, you can also find all the lyrics here, which are definitely worth reading. The only thing I have a bit of a problem with is the contrast of the back of the cover, where the song titles partially disappear against its background, but I successfully eliminated this deficiency by using a lamp (maybe I'm just blind /smile/).
So, I don't see it at the very top of the scoring scale in the final, it's just below (smile), but I still think that in the form of the CD "Prison of Bizarre Gods" I have the best material that MM has managed to create in its existence. Vocalist Štěpán sings excellently, the band behind him is perfect, the individual compositions are head and heel, but tell me yourself, what more could one wish for?
Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHsHEGvJv7I
