After spending the past two years refining their sound and building upon the acclaim surrounding The Periapt Of Absence, Indianapolis death/doom outfit MOTHER OF GRAVES are entering a new chapter. The band has announced its third full-length, The Light That Keeps Us, arriving October 16 via Profound Lore Records.
The album follows the considerable impact of The Periapt Of Absence, which landed at #11 on Decibel Magazine’s Top 40 Albums of the Year while earning recognition across numerous year-end lists. Rather than simply attempting to recreate that momentum, MOTHER OF GRAVES have used the time between records to further define what makes their music uniquely theirs.
Built around the guitar work of Chris Morrison and Ben Sandman, the commanding rhythm section of Corey Clark and Don Curtis, and the distinctive vocals and keyboards of Brandon Howe, The Light That Keeps Us finds the band expanding the emotional and atmospheric dimensions of their death/doom foundation.
There is still plenty of weight here, but the heaviness isn’t the entire story.
MOTHER OF GRAVES balance crushing death-metal intensity with the sorrow, romanticism, and melodic atmosphere associated with doom, creating songs that feel simultaneously devastating and strangely comforting. Across the album’s eight tracks, themes of mortality, grief, love, perseverance, and the search for something beautiful within darkness become central to the band’s storytelling.
Production once again carries a deeply personal connection to the band, with guitarist Ben Sandman handling the work behind the console. Instead of polishing away the character that makes MOTHER OF GRAVES compelling, the production emphasizes the emotional core of the songs, allowing the guitars, vocals, keyboards, and rhythm section to breathe while preserving their enormous weight.
Now, the band has offered its first glimpse into The Light That Keeps Us with the haunting new single “Through The Pale Shade.”
Howe describes the song as a reflection on finding resilience when the world around you begins to fracture. Rather than presenting hope as something effortless or guaranteed, the track explores the possibility of discovering beauty while standing in some of life’s darkest places. That contradiction is exactly where the song thrives.
Musically, “Through The Pale Shade” captures the identity MOTHER OF GRAVES have spent years developing: towering heaviness, melancholic melodies, atmospheric keyboards, and vocals that carry an almost poetic quality. The song moves between crushing passages and more dreamlike sections without making either side feel out of place.
Find preorders HERE.
The Light That Keeps Us Full-Length:
1. Wingless Soul (Feat. Dan Swanö)
2. Through The Pale Shade
3. The Light That Keeps Us
4. Eventide Angel
5. The Silent Weight Of The Stars
6. A Moonlit Tryst
7. The Beggar’s Allegory
8. The Endless Climb
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