In This Moment singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth spoke to Songfacts prior to the October 27 release of their new album, Godmode, to discuss the album's mysterious title, the stories behind several of their best-known tunes, and how they conceive their videos. An excerpt follows...
Greg Prato (Songfacts): How has the band's songwriting changed over the years?
Maria Brink: "It definitely has. We've been together now 18 years. When we started off, we didn't know what we were doing. We were just trying to figure it out. We used to butt heads a lot and have a lot of confrontation. Now, it feels like we flow like a river together. I think we're just more mature and we've grown with each other, and we've really learned what each other likes and how we work. It's definitely become a lot smoother.
"We approach songwriting on all different levels, whether or not Chris writes a song and sends it to me, or I write something on piano. Sometimes I'll even mimic a song on a voice message, with instruments and everything, and Chris will bring it to life for us. So, we really don't have a one-way approach, but we've gotten better at it, that's for sure."
Chris Howorth: "In the beginning, it was like we just had a bunch of songs written, and I had a bunch of stuff. I was kind of forcing it on Maria at the very beginning. And then we started trying to figure out what we would do together, and it was a battle. Every album was its own challenge – up until this one, which feels like one of the smoothest experiences we've had together. I guess all that time, we learned how to do it."
Songfacts: What is the meaning behind the album title Godmode?
Brink: "The album itself felt fierce. It felt really powerful. And we're always about empowering people and wanting people to listen to the music and feel empowered with themselves. Our last album [Mother, 2020] was a bit more on the somber side because we were really depressed when we went into that album. But on this album, we felt fire and we felt really all the things. I'm always speaking about certain spiritual aspects and tend to sway into that.
"But this name, Godmode, is powerful, epic, limitless. And then Chris when I told him, he's a huge gamer, and he was like, 'Actually, in the gaming world, god mode is something you can turn on that your character can't die and all these cool things.' So he loved the name right off the bat. It was a no-brainer for Chris and me. We loved the name. Once we both said we should name it this, we were like, 'Let's do it.' It fit the album as well. Right Chris?
Howorth: "Yes, it did. It felt right. And it was like what we were saying about the songwriting: Everything flowed into place on this one. And that too happened during the making of the album. We didn't have a name, and that just popped in. Like, 'Oh wow. That's cool.'"
Read more at Songfacts.
In This Moment’s upcoming eighth album, Godmode, sees Brink and Howorth writing the most powerful songs of their career.
Recorded at Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, NV, the 10-track opus was produced by Kane Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch) and Tyler Bates (John Wick, Jerry Cantrell, Bush) and marks a new high for the quintet, further cementing their legacy in the heavy music world.
Pre-save/pre-add/pre-order Godmode here.
Godmode tracklisting:
"Godmode"
"The Purge"
"Army Of Me"
"Sacrifice"
"Skyburner"
"Sanctify Me"
"Everything Starts And Ends With You"
"Damaged" (Feat. Spencer Charnas)
"Fate Bringer"
"I Would Die For You"
"Army Of Me" visualizer:
"Godmode" visualizer:
"The Purge" video:
In support of the new album, In This Moment also announced their fall 2023 co-headline Kiss Of Death Tour with Ice Nine Kills. The twenty-two city tour kicks off on November 3 at Hard Rock Live in Gary, Indiana making stops across the US in Cincinnati, Atlanta, New York City, as well as multiple stops throughout Florida before the final show at Wesbanco Arena in Wheeling, WV on December 2.
Dates:
November
3 - Gary, IN - Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana
4 - Maplewood, MN - Myth Live **
5 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater **
7 - Indianapolis, IN - Blue Ribbon Pavilion
8 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady Music Center
9 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
11 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Events Center **
14 - Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Arena
16 - Estero, FL - Hertz Arena
17 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily’s Place
18 - Orlando, FL - Orlando Amphitheater
20 - Atlanta, GA - Coca Cola Roxy
21 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex
22 - Reading, PA - Santander Arena
24 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theatre
25 - Bangor, ME - Cross Insurance Center
28 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
30 - Norfolk, VA - Chartway Arena
December
1 - Johnstown, PA - 1st Summit Arena
2 - Wheeling, WV - Wesbanco Arena
** In This Moment Only
In This Moment is:
Maria Brink (lead vocals)
Chris Howorth (guitars)
Travis Johnson (bass)
Randy Weitzel (rhythm guitar)
Kent Diimmel (drums)
(Photo - Jeremy Saffer)
