Phases & Stages

Mother of God

Like many Swedish hard rock acts, Mother of God clearly loves its Kyuss records. Between the melodic groove-grunge of opener "230" and guitarist Daniel Nygren's soulful wail, the debt's paid. That said, MoG reaches deeper into its stash than its forebears ever did, adding a bluesy boogie to the psychedelic stomp. "To Live" greases its wheels, while "Something From Below" heads for inner space and "Adrift" sways with the desert wind. "Windows" shifts locale from the Cali desert to the Pacific Northwest, evoking an imagined mind meld between Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. Nothing even whispers originality here, but Anthropos satisfies heavy, yesteryear cravings.