Review Summary: The Groove is with You
Searching for a good and new funk rock band isn't exactly the easiest thing to do today. At least a hard hitting one at that. Mother's Cake is here for your wants and needs. Hailing from Austria and having won in the Local Heroes Austria Contest back in 2010 and coming in second in the European finals in Hungary. After leaving all those contests with just an EP, I'm sure audiences were killing for a full length album. You have been a good boy. You have been eating all your vegetables, getting a good amount of protein with every meal, watching your calorie intake, and now it is time to spoil yourself with the dessert.
You can hear quite a large intake of influence just from hearing the first track, the title track of Creation's Finest. You have Red Hot Chili Peppers like bass lines, reminiscent The Mars Volta structures, and a sky high and meaningful vocal delivery, in which you can hear just a tad of a Robert Plant vibe on certain songs. They definitely have a good taste in influence.
Songs like "The Road", "Runaway", and "I Like it" showcase the more, 'in your face', and hard rock feels. "Runaway", which I feel to be the album's key track, has a blazing intro of fast guitar picking and in comes a fast bass smacking line to help prepare the verses and giving the guitar some time to slow down. Vocalist and guitarist, Yves Krismer, delivers a yelling like, yet sweet performance on the verses, in which he can quickly calm down and change moods into a soft and subtle voice. Later in the track, after a variety of structure switch ups, the track starts to get smoother and mellow, while lurking in the back is an incoming funky guitar solo that finally leads to a frantic and chaotic ending with the sounds of keyboard being quickly tapped. It is quite the majestic track on the album, giving every side of Mother's Cake arsenal into the song.
Other songs such as, "Night and Day" and "Soul Prison (Part 1)" offer a more relaxing vibe. On both of these songs, lyrically, they are full of inspiration and contrast appropriately. "Night and Day" with a feeling of 'there is hope at the end of the tunnel' and "Soul Prison's" darker sound, yet with more of an 'uprising' lyrical motive.
Two short interludes are present in the very middle of the album and although short, they are talented instrumentals. The first interlude, "A Path Down Under" just taking a look at the title and reading 'Down Under' is exactly what it feels like, a, how should I say this...a very funky Australian groove. Also while "Pan's Requiem" is beautiful in its short own right, it feels out of place on an album such as this. Not sure if it gave a sense of fresh air or diversity, or if it was just thrown in there to be in there.
If there's one thing I believe Mother's Cake is extraordinary about, is that there longer and epic songs are more ear catching than their short, fast, and to the point songs. One gripe however, is that on very long tracks, you would think with fast changing structures in the song would keep the song and groove interesting. Often the repetition may get a little dull, and I feel that if these songs had a slightly bigger hook, they could keep your attention more for such greatly venturing songs.
Their vocalist though, he has something in him. An evil spirit perhaps? Who knows, but whatever is in him I hope never goes away. A lot of funk rock bands have the tendency to do something like "speed talk" or don't like to hold high notes and really sing, now that may sound a little over exaggerated, and probably is, but Yves Krismer doesn't hold back, his strength and reach in his voice is amazing. You may be looking at a very famous frontman in the near future. Not only this, but with good lyrics (not too deep, but not shallow) does Yves present. Very slightly his high pitch takes can become annoying, and he doesn't show very many other pitches, but what he is doing on the album is great. Drummer Jan Haußels and bassist Benedikt Trenkwalder both play their part very well. While the drumming is nothing out of the ordinary, he is a solid drummer, there is nothing really to complain about him, although a lack of interesting drum fills could be a desire in some minds. Thick and recognizable bass lines do exactly what you want them to, and they sound great, and they could have shown up on some of the more chaotic parts of songs to still refrain from getting on the track too far.
Though a few nitpicks that keep the album from being a classic in the funk rock genre, Creation's Finest is a fantastic debut album that anyone who likes progressive and funk rock should seek interest in listening. Just like your mom's cake, Creation's Finest is delicious and will leave you full and on a sugar high.
