MOTIVIK: Renouncement
MOTIVIK- Renouncement
Atlanta, Georgia’s thrash metal revivalists Motivik release their long awaited sophomore album Renouncement. A young Courtney Simmons and Ryan Roebuck first worked together in their band Unorthodox in the 90’s, purveying a mix of hardcore and thrash influences. Promising they were, but decades of woodshedding have honed the pair into the metal saboteurs that you know today as Motivik. Their 2021 debut Death of a Gunman was well received, setting the bar high, but Renouncement just smoked it, promising to be an album of the year contender. The band display their love of bands like Tourniquet, Believer, Betrayal, and Mortification on their sleeves, and it’s fun to hear how much those bands bleed through into Motivik’s music, but honestly the guys have exceeded many of their heroes here.
The title track “Renouncement” is itself a Betrayal cover, but with the help of Betrayal singer Chris Ackerman, they improve upon the original. One of my favorite cuts is “Dethroned” and the band bears a striking similarity to Believer, but then the chorus has such an accessible melodic quality to it, courtesy of Courtney’s delightfully raspy delivery. “Break the Walls” has a remarkably singable quality and then special guest Jason Wisdom’s legendary death metal vocals take it to another level. “Septicemia” is a holdover from the band’s Unorthodox days, but the song about blood poisoning wows with its Tourniquet sonic qualities and Ryan’s smoking guitar solos. “This Man I Am” is the story of all of us- an ode to the common man and our struggle to keep putting our old sin nature down. Organ joins with fierce guitar riffs and a singable chorus to give this song an epic, timeless quality. “Harbinger of Demise” is another album maker with its galloping rhythm, raspy chorus (love that dude’s vocals), another nod to Tourniquet. The Courtney Simmons penned “Final Hour,” while not quite a ballad, is a poignant description of Christ’s crucifixion that builds in momentum and succeeds in making you feel like you were there. Both electric and acoustic axework on this one are breathtaking, with The Crucified and Applehead 6 stringer Greg Minier guesting. “Lord of Death” is like the heavier sequel to “Final Hour.” I love hearing multiple vocals on some of these songs- the guest list on this album is just crazy good. “The Storm Within” takes us to speed metal territory, with a hint of Slayer in the time changes.
“Lift your eyes All ye children of Zion Hope arise within your hearts Christ alone Our hope, salvation In the storm He will not depart.”
“The Head Collector” is another banger that makes the album. Funny sound effects at the beginning, super heavy verses, and then that melodic chorus. Love the bass line on “Dead by Daylight,” where Shamash’s Andre Chiang joins Courtney on vox to take the tune in an ominous direction. Album closer “Once Again” starts off like a piano led Savatage ballad, before kicking in to a mid temp rocker (for these guys, anyway) with jangly bass, an honest soul calling out to God.
I can’t say enough great things about this album. Love these guys! Great content, Godly lyrics. Cover art seems to go along with the focus of the beginning of the album about putting the old man to death and letting God be the king of your heart. Instrumentation by Ryan Roebuck is world class, love the guest spots too, drumming is excellent for being session work, and I’ve already mentioned my predilection for Courtney’s raspy delivery. So much fun. This is not paint by numbers, but a masterful reimagining of thrash, the same way Stop the Bleeding was when it dropped upon an unsuspecting world in 1990. Pick it up now!
(Roxx Records)
4.5 out of 5 Stars
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