Black Mare – “Death Magick Mother”

It’s no secret that I’m a spooky little thing. And it’s no secret that we currently live in a time of the rebirth of the ultra spooky. Chelsea Wolfe, King Dude, Coven, Lucifer, Christian Mistress, and Ides of Gemini are the soundtracks to the lives of many spooky witchy goth girl types.

Sera Timms performing with Ides of Gemini in Vancouver, BC in 2015

Ides of Gemini have been talked about before here in the graveyard, and you can click through for some photos I took of their show in 2015 in Vancouver, and you can also click here for an interview with J. Bennett from Ides of Gemini. This isn’t an Ides of Gemini review, but somehow I can’t open a piece about Black Mare without talking about Ides of Gemini. The twosome of J. Bennett and Sera Timms introduced me to a heavy lush and funereal world, largely with the siren call of Sera. In getting to know the music and magic of Ides of Gemini, I was also able to come to know the Black Mare.

Ides of Gemini, 2015

Black Mare is similar and dissimilar to Ides of Gemini, like a set of fraternal twins. The ethereal voice of Sera Timms cuts through both, but in many ways Black Mare is more timid, looping in sound and drone. Ides of Gemini is often more straight forward where Black Mare is more meandering.

Sera’s footwear and Ides of Gemini setlist from 2015

Death Magick Mother is the second album from the Black Mare and similar to the first (Field of the Host), the layers of sound and dreamy vocals spin around the listener and tighten deep inside your consciousness. If there was ever an album to put on after eating a giant edible gummy and dissociate, this is definitely the one. Produced by Andrew Clinco of Drab Majesty, Death Magick Mother showcases the vocal talent of Timms in a way that is new for her as a vocalist. The whispering vocals are at times like ghostly chanting heard in the distance, soaring into gorgeous wailing. If you’re familiar with Ides of Gemini, you will know as well that Timms is no stranger to multi-layered lyrical content which can be read straight up or in allegory. Death Magick Mother deals with the dark feminine, the dark energy that is inside the heart of every woman, every witch. This album is not light, it is heavy and pulsating like the very wellspring of life that lives inside the dark feminine energy possessed by temple maidens, dark goddesses, and satanic feminists.

Sometimes I find it hard to write things about albums I really like. It’s not as fitting for me to simply hold the album and point to it and make excited sounds, but this is about what feels fitting for Death Magick Mother. I talk often about how we relate most to art that we see ourselves reflected in, and I really see myself and so many other wild women I have the privilege of knowing inside this album. It is wild, delicate, feminine, and oddly brutal. It is stark and lonely. It is every wave crashing inside my heart, every wild impulse.

All I can say is that I want you to buy it. It’s $7, sacrifice a venti pumpkin spice latte.

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www.theblackmare.com
black mare on facebook

You can find the Black Mare on tour:

9/21/2017 Yucca Tap Room – Phoenix, AZ

9/22/2017 The Viper Room – West Hollywood, CA w/ Hours

9/23/2017 The Golden Bull – Oakland, CA w/ Daxma

9/24/2017 Cafe Colonial – Sacramento, CA

9/25/2017 Tonic Lounge – Portland, OR w/ Wovoka, Drainage

9/26/2017 Highline Bar – Seattle, WA w/ They Rise We Die

9/27/2017 The Shredder – Boise, ID

9/28/2017 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT