September Mourning, led by multi-talented Emily Lazar is truly a group that will not fade in to the dust. I had my first chance to see the group live in action in late 2015 in support of Mushroomhead. Believe me, they do not disappoint. The group recently released their debut full-length album Volume II back in July of this year. Now do not let the title confuse you – Volume II is the debut album for September Mourning. True, there was a Volume I, but it was EP.
But first, a bit of a back story on the group. September, the leader of the group is a “super-but not super-hero”. The entire group’s image is based off of the artist creation of Emily Lazar. First a band, but then they became a whirlwind of a sensation in the comic world when the September Mourning comic books were released. So keep up with me here, September, is a human-reaper hybrid created by Riven (one of the guitarists) when he “fell in love” with her in the comic books. The group essentially brings the comic books to life. I have had a chance to read both copies that are out. It’s worth the read, especially since it all goes hand-in-hand.
The style of music that September Mourning gives us is almost, how do you say, gothic rock even symphonic metal you could say. The album opens up with “The Collection” – the intro to the album is almost of a prayer of sorts. Very powerful sound, you could call it cinematic, like the opening to a movie in a way. “Angels to Dust” is probably the catchiest song on the entire album. The mix of almost an electro-acoustic riffs with synth mixed into the track truly makes it one of the most unique sounding genres of music in our current generation. Next ” Eye of the Storm ” is the one song that has been around for a bit. This song features strong guitar riffs and the occasional church bell toll in the chorus. This song features lyrics, “Can you feel the calm, its right before the storm” this particular line really embodies the track. “Before the Fall” was oddly enough originally released back in 2012, this new version is now improved with much better sound and gets the group out of that “sample” sound.
The next two songs “Children of Fate” and “Skin and Bones” does sound like two parts a great song and it has its good and bad sides. The first includes symphonic elements, many electronics and passes, yet if you aren’t familiar with the band, may have some weird lyrics to it. “20 Below” starts out with a catchy intro but drops off pretty quickly into almost an entirely different song, still an absolutely great song, just a weird beginning. “Heart Can Hold” has an incredible guitar solo intro that I am absolutely in love with, definitely a radio-worthy track. “Superhuman” is honestly my favorite track on the entire album. It is almost an anthem of sorts. At first listen I felt like it was one of those songs you listen to and instantly associate it with a fight scene in a movie. “Live Like You’re Alive”, is another radio-worthy track off the album that features really uplifting and powerful lyrics.
The final two tracks rounding out the twelve track album includes, “Stand by Me” which is a recreation of Ben King’s version from 1961. Not going to lie, it is kind of creepy, but a good creepy and absolutely a powerful ballad. Final track on the album is “’Til You See Heaven”, which as you would expect from a cinematic/story style album definitely rounds out the album quite beautifully.
You can catch September Mourning out on their cross-country headlining tour now through the end of December. You can buy their comic books directly on their website: www.septembermourning.com and make sure you pick up a copy of their album at either Amazon, iTunes or Google Play.
