Marisa And The Moths – What Doesn’t Kill You
Release Date: 3rd May 2024
Label: Tonesick Records Limited
Bandcamp
Genre: Alt-Rock, Hard Rock, Grunge.
FFO: Evanescence, Halestorm, Alter Bridge.
Review By: Paul Franklin
The press release for this second album from Reading based grungy rockers Marisa And The Moths states that they ‘have created a sound that is both familiar and innovative.’ having listened to it, I would agree with half of that statement. If you have listened to any Evanescence or Halestorm then What Doesn’t Kill You will sound very familiar indeed. Innovative…..hmmm?
Full of both hope and despair, the lyrics offer an intimate look into Marisa’s grief in overcoming an abusive relationship and an honest insight into her battles with anxiety and depression. Likewise, the music alternates between wistful melancholia and joyful redemption.
Singer Marisa Rodriguez does have some serious pipes with the control and flexibility to switch between these discordant styles at ease. However, it can all get a bit too breathy and warbly at times, especially when you consider there are fourteen tracks on offer here (plus two interludes), which is just too long to sustain one’s interest. The rockier tracks, such as Wither Away, do offer a bit of variety with Marisa channelling more of a Lizzie Halestorm vibe, but again, it never really steps far enough out of the shadow of the original to stop you wishing you were listening to that instead.
Marisa And The Moths have made an album that will neither upset or excite in equal measure. As someone much wiser than me said, “Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes the edge off admiration.”
(3 / 5)
