In This Moment - Witch (2026)
I think Witch is a good In This Moment album because the band still understands how to make very polished modern metal feel personal.
Maria Brink is obviously the main reason it works. Shame and Crawl use her voice particularly well, moving between whispers, clean vocals and much more aggressive screams without making every song feel like the same performance. I Want To Believe is probably my favourite because Rory Rodriguez actually adds something rather than simply appearing as a guest.
I also like the amount of contrast. Into The Dark and Wrapped Around Your Finger slow things down, while Heretic does almost the opposite and becomes deliberately chaotic. Father is probably the most important song because the emotion feels much less theatrical and much more direct.
My main issue is that In This Moment's formula is becoming very easy to recognise. The industrial production, whispered passages, huge choruses and dramatic builds still work, but I can often predict where a song is going.
Three covers are also a lot on an eleven-track album. The Police and Nine Inch Nails songs make sense in this world, but I am less convinced by Another Brick in the Wall. The production is interesting, but I don't think Kat Von D adds enough to justify the collaboration.
So I think this is clearly above average. It has personality, atmosphere and several songs I would keep. I just don't hear enough exceptional songwriting or genuine surprise to move it much higher.
Pros
Maria Brink remains a very distinctive and versatile vocalist;
strong balance between aggression and atmosphere;
I Want To Believe, Crawl and Father are convincing highlights.
Cons
Three covers weaken the sense of original songwriting;
some familiar In This Moment structures are becoming predictable;
the aesthetic is sometimes stronger than the individual songs.
Genre: Alternative Metal
Country: US
Final Verdict: 69% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 61th / 654
Highlight: Shame
Made me think of:
Spiritbox
Motionless In White
Lacuna Coil
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