Modern progressive rock fans rejoice, for The Mute Gods have returned. A collaboration between Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett, Kajagoogoo), Marco Minnemann (Illegal Aliens, The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson) and Roger King (Steve Hackett), the band formed in 2014 before releasing the well-received ‘Do nothing till you hear from me’ in 2016 via renowned progressive label InsideOut. It has been just a year since that album, and yet the Mute Gods have hardly paused for breath. Nick Beggs was already talking about a follow up even as he promoted the band’s debut with the official announcement of ‘Tardigrades will inherit the earth’ emerging in December last year. A video (‘We can’t carry on’) followed in January, making good on Nick’s promise that the album would be an angrier, darker affair with its distorted, Numan-esque beats and pointed, social-commentary lyrics angrily targeted the mass-media induced paranoia of the last twelve months.
The album opens with the introductory ‘Saltatio Mortis’, a filmic piece of music that sets a tone of impending darkness with its richly textured orchestral elements offset against a soaring solo. Reminiscent of the stunning collaboration between Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton (Edge of Darkness, Lethal Weapon), it perfectly sets the scene before the dense riffing of ‘Animal Army’ emerges from the rolling thunder of Marco Minnemann’s exceptional, jazzy percussion. A track that juxtaposes throaty guitars with Nick’s airy vocals, elements of both Hackett and Wilson are present in the band’s DNA, but hybridized and mutated to give the Mute Gods their own unique sound. Indeed, the chorus with its powerful melody could easily fit in with the recent pop-infused work of Devin Townsend whilst the churning riffs anchor the piece firmly before it can escape into the ether. The aforementioned ‘We can’t carry on’ is up next and, with its biting social commentary, it can make for uncomfortable listening. Clearly perturbed by the recent developments in both the UK and the US, Nick takes aim at the proliferation of popularism over a tightly plotted musical backdrop that is as enjoyable on the cerebral level as it is upon the visceral. Tearing into the barely-restrained rage of ‘the dumbing of the stupid’, The Mute Gods set distorted, seething vocals against a riff that draws upon the likes of Tool and King Crimson for influence, and if the glorious harmony of the chorus sweetens the blow, the hammer blow of Marco’s unhinged percussive bomb is never far away. An epic, seven-minute opus that offers some truly dazzling musicianship, ‘the dumbing of the stupid’ is just one of many masterpieces on this truly special album. Switching tack, ‘early warning’ is a beatific moment of calm that sees Nick’s bass work afforded a moment in the spotlight before the album’s title track draws the first half of the record to a close. A pulsing, rhythmic track, ‘Tardigrades will inherit the earth’ is a vibrant, thrilling number that sees driving riffs overlaid with sinister, post-punk vocals awash in modulation and shot through with bleak emotion.
Perhaps a reaction to the muscular title track, the second half of the record emerges with the sinister ‘Window onto the sun’ with dark bass-laden undercurrents set against the sweet, organic sound of a fast-strummed acoustic guitar. With synth washes adding depth to the track, ‘Window onto the sun’ would make a fine single whilst, in contrast, the short, instrumental ‘lament’ is a simple moment of beauty that provides the listener with a moment to draw breath before the band launch into the epic ‘the singing fish of Batticaloa’. Clocking in at eight and a half minutes, ‘the singing fish…’ is classic prog. with echoes of early Genesis in its fantastic lyric and richly textured sonic palette. A sudden explosion of noise, ‘Hallelujah’ lies far from the contemplative track suggested by the title and captures the Mute Gods at their most explosive before the funky bass of the short, instrumental ‘The Andromeda strain’ takes things in a more traditionally prog. infused direction that harks right back to the halcyon days of Yes. The album concludes with ‘stranger than fiction’, a gentle, sweet pop song that offers a very human hope in the face of the wider darkness that threatens us. It is a beautiful concluding track and it helps to restore the sun in the wake of the thunder clouds that dominated the first half of the record.
A varied and accomplished record, ‘Tardigrades will inherit the earth’ is a powerful follow-up to the mute god’s impressive debut and it sees the band increasingly developing their own unique sound from the myriad influences that inform them. Highlights include the astonishingly powerful ‘the dumbing of the stupid’, the fantastic first single ‘we can’t carry on’ and the wonderfully lyrical ‘the singing fish of Batticaloa’, but in truth the album is packed with highlights thanks both to intelligent lyrical themes and the multifaceted musical styles the band employ to bring them to life. Prog fans need look no further, this sophomore effort from the Mute gods is an absolute gem of an album. 9
