EP Review: Cruel Mother – Cut Down For The Earth (Self Released)

London-based folk doom band Cruel Mother are due to release their debut EP, Cut Down For The Earth, on the 12th April 2024.

Formed beneath the tolling of the Bow Bells in East London, Cruel Mother take their lyrical inspiration from printed broadsides and the folk song corpus, particularly the rich tradition of English murder ballads. The band was first conceived in 2022 and has existed in its current form since spring 2023. Over the past year, they’ve refined their sound, mixing heavy riffs and crunchy grooves with the melancholic lament of the fiddle, creating a doom concept band unlike any other. They combine a playful approach to creating music with a solemn respect for the real history and human lives at the heart of the ballads they revive.

The five piece bring an interesting mix of talent to the melting pot, with a wealth of combined experience spanning classical, metal, punk and ska music. Blending English folk with stoner doom, this project is most influenced by Skyclad, Green Lung and 70s English folk like Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Pentangle and, of course, Black Sabbath. Cut Down For The Earth is comprised of six tracks inspired by songs contained in The Roud Folk Song Index, a database comprising of over 25,000 songs English language folk collected from all over the world.

Cruel Mother are obviously a band at the start of their journey but things have started well with a great international reception to their first two singles, John Barleycorn and My Name Is Death, and incredible crowds at their debut performance at Maryland Metalfest III hosted by Retribution Alive earlier this year.

Cruel Mother is made up of Becky (bass, vocals and main composer), James (guitar and vocals), Kirstie (guitar), David (violin) and Dan (drums). Cut Down For The Earth comes with really cool artwork, courtesy of Robert Maltby.

What an intriguing concept Cruel Mother have here and it all gets underway with My Name is Death and quite quickly introduces the band, and their sound to you. The bluesy riffing, fuzzy tones and echoing drums fit comfortably and bring a real authentic and traditional stoner doom sound. The folk element comes through from both the song/lyrical base but of course, the fiddle. I really admire the intelligent use of the fiddle as well, where it’s wistful tones blend into the music, never overpowering, clear and impactful and just enhancing the track with a delicate touch. It makes for a calming and natural track, despite it’s gloomy tones and morose and existential lyrical content.

This slow and moody tone is prevalent throughout Cut Down For The Earth. This is, at it’s core, stoner doom after all. The Red Barn uses the dark tones really patiently in the verses, slowly trudging forwards like you are walking through a swamp. Down The Greenwood Side’s thick and murky drawn out notes meander through your mind as the clean vocals hypnotise in their melodic delivery. Will O The Wisp has a nice, deep and dark bassy melody that patiently starts the song off assisted by that almost dreamy tone of the vocals.

But there is more to Cruel Mother than just slow, heavy, trudging doom. Like in the opener, My Name is Death, the folk elements of the band shine through at just the right times.

The Red Barn has a massive instrumental ending that packs a heavy puunch with some serious crunch to the riffs and a more prominent fiddle leading the way and adding that folk magic. Then there is John Barleycorn. A song that both picks the tempo up and leans much more heavily on the folk side. The fiddle is prominent and leading the melody but the extra folk touches also come from the tune and delivery of the vocals, styled like a child’s poem or rhyme. It might make you picture kids from 50 or 60 years ago, skipping and singing this in a playground. It did for me. Obviously minus the crunchy riffs and punchy drums delivered in a song that is really cool, very unique and displays a ton of creativity.

There is a lot to admire across Cut Down For The Earth. Musically it feels authentic and complete with solid drums, crunchy and fuzzy riffs and the aforementioned fiddle but the vocals are also excellent. Predominantly delivered in a natural, yet dream like clean style. Cruel Mother have abundance of talent though so also offer a nice mix of male and female vocals at different times. The Red Barn being one such song that offers up that refreshing mix. Down The Greenwood Side also offers up the different vocalists, something I am finding to be another very useful weapon in Cruel Mother’s considerable armoury. In Down The Greenwood Side Cruel Mother add even more impact and atmosphere moving to a demonic growl for a verse before bringing the cleans back to support those harsh vocals.

It’s a very comfortable release to listen to with songs that flow very well and keep ypou engaged. There is no time for boredom and each track has a very cear and individual identity offering more than enough variation to make them stick in your mind but still hold that core doom sound. Down The Greenwood Side is over 8 minutes long, but didn’t feel like it which generally means you were so lost and involved in the track, you didn’t notice time passing.

My favourite track has to be Will O The Wisp though. It has a  nice, deep and dark bassy melody that patiently starts the song off assisted by the almost dreamy tone of the vocals. The song builds over time, adding layers, patiently and intelligently. It isn’t building up to a kick off or a pit or anything – that isn’t this style – but it builds in power and feeling. Just adding a touch of an extra drum hit, then a little more guitars, a little more emphasis on the vocals, a little backing until it feels like you have reached the pinnacle and it is set to explode. It’s genius in it’s subtlety.

Cut Down For The Earth ends with the most sinister and creepy rendition of the childrens playground song, Oranges And Lemons, that you are ever likely to hear. I mean the song itself is already morbid enough but here Cruel Mother offer up a nightmarish version. Bells chime, the lyrics are dleivered in a layered whisper with a muted melody.. It closes the release off very well, showing yet another moment of imagination and creativity in a band that clearly have no shortage of ideas.

Cruel Mother are showcasing a lot in Cut Down For The Earth and that’s a good move for a debut release. Hold nothing back. They clearly have an abundance of talent whether in musicianship, creating atmopshere or structuring songs and there is a whole world of content available to them in this concept. Of course, if you don’t care for folk or doom, you, may struggle with this but I think you could still find enjoyment in hearing alternatives to songs you may remember hearing about in the past, and you will definitely still appreciate how well written and delivered the release is. For fans of the genre, Cut Down From The Earth is bound to impress though and should see Cruel Mother become the band to start following over the coming years.

Use this link to pre-add or pre-save Cut Down For The Earth ready for the 12th of April.

Cruel Mother Links

Bandcamp – YouTube – Facebook – Instagram – X – Spotify – Apple Music