Unmothered

The Unmothered are Austin's most promising independent metal band. With a new release that revisits and updates some of the material from the group's previous EP, as well as introducing a few ferocious new tracks, the Unmothered prove that metal can have its own style of swagger. The crushing, Southern-infused doom-metal-cum-haunt-rock brings the kind of shotgun swagger you'd expect from a Rob Zombie film, as this new release brings the country brutality of The Devil's Rejects. The Unmothered breathes new life into Southern metal, fusing throaty doom vocals with the kind of thunderous, rolling riffs and freewheeling, but expert musicianship you associate with the best Southern bands. Previously a demon duo of just two guys, the band now have a third member, filling out both the line-up and sound. "The Awakening," "Leviathan" and "Spectre" are all from the band's previous EP, revisited here with cleaner production and more ominous sounds. "Gravitons," "Solstice," "Dark Energy" and "Trancendor" are all new, showing the Unmothered at their best, producing sonically textured, catchy doom. Some might call this stoner metal, but when the Unmothered come on, you'll want to swill some beer and hit the pit more than you'll want to slump onto a couch. For a band without a label, the Unmothered continue to make well-produced, crushingly good metal. Hopefully they'll get signed soon and we'll see what they come up with when they have a label behind them. Welcome to the new face of Southern metal.
(Independent) - Exclaim!

I’ve been all over this one lately. This Austin, TX power trio mixes a heavy dose of sludge metal with black metal howls and self-proclaims themselves “HAUNT ROCK”. I’d say that’s pretty spot-on. The album is an absolute riff factory. And for doing it all themselves, it’s very well recorded. AND THICK. The vocals are dark, desperate, and miserable. The drummer is an absolute maniac, showing off his octopus-like ability on the ballbuster track “Solstice”.

Other notables are “Leviathan” (really can’t go wrong with that track name, as MASTODON and SWEET COBRA have already had successes with it) and “Gravitons”. No track overstays their welcome, as Unmothered trimmed itself of all the fat. Trust me, this is 30 minutes WELL SPENT. - Good Shakes

Texas has birth many metal bands in the past including a few black metal bands that I am quite fond of (Averse Sefira and Absu). Recently, I caught wind of The Unmothered, a crushing black metal band from Austin who tinge their music with elements of southern doom, from a friend at Catharis PR. These guys are pretty epic. That is for sure. Very well executed instrumentation and raw, harsh vocals make up the band’s sound. The band has only been around since late 2010 and member Matt Walker was previously in Lions of Tsavo. With only a few shows under their belt under the Unmothered moniker, Matt Walker and Daniel Curry already have the release of a full-length and US touring plans in their sights. These guys pull in musical inspiration from all across the metal spectrum, touching on genres such as stoner metal and doom as well as black metal. It’s undeniably extraordinary. Below I have streamed a track from The Unmothered’s Bandcamp page where you can stream the bands entire self-titled EP and download it for free. That’s right. Free. Go do it if you like what you hear. Peace out. Also, follow The Unmothered on Facebook. - American Aftermath

n only 5 songs I have discovered that Unmothered is a really cool band. Though self described as "black metal", I might venture to say that's hardly to the case at all. Rather, they are the latest in a string of seemingly unrelated bands that I've been running into for a few years who have succeeded in taking the current popular lo-fi doom trend and turning it on its ear.

Each song on their EP features off-beat riffing and a massive doom styled production that is clearly the product of a basement or bedroom. This also seems to have been recorded in one take per track, giving the music a raw, jam-like feel. The drums beat along with simplicity, but also are loud and effective, while the guitar is the main part of the show, with a warm, grinding tone.

Vocally I guess you could loosely define them as "black metal", as none of the vocals rise above a hissy rasp. They are not prominently mixed however, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as they are not the main focus here.

This is a great output, especially for a two-piece who is able to reproduce this live, which to me is something that few bands can get away with not being able to do. Thumbs up and I hope to hear more in the future.

Top track: Trancendor - Stereo Killer

The opening band was called Unmothered from Austin. They were pretty good and I’d certainly go see them again. They were a 3pc sort of droning thing. There was a weird dark almost black metal undertone but this was no black metal band. Worth checking out again for sure. - The Metal Files

aught up with Matt Walker from Austin-based shred metallers THE UNMOTHERED recently, for some low-down quick and dirty Q&A. These guys are getting ready for some hot shit SXSW wickedness, and they’ll be playing a killer show with the almighty TRUCKFIGHTERS, EAGLE CLAW, and more this Thursday (March 8th, 2012) at North Door Studios in Austin starting at 9PM (HINT: You will die a very slow and painful horrifying death if you don’t get your ass – and all of your friends’ friends asses – to this show).

- Rock Thought

Austin, Texas based act Unmothered is currently offering a self-titled EP for streaming and as a free download. You can check out the EP by heading over to the Unmothered Bandcamp page. - Metal Underground

Austin extremists Unmothered offer up a heavy, ugly well of noise that aims to drown out the Music City's raucous din with sheer murderous resolve. This pummeling duo came into being in late 2010, after founding member Matt Walker parted ways with Austin heavyweights Lions Of Tsavo. A handful of shows, a singular vision, and a self-recorded brute of an EP have lain the groundwork for the band's next steps, which include the recording of a full-length and US touring plans. Their debut EP is now available for free streaming and download on the Unmothered Bandcamp page. - Pure Grain Audio

For the two of you who are big fans of Austin’s incredibly bitching metal band Lions of Tsavo, Unmothered is what happened to guitarist/vocalist Matt Walker after he left Lions of Tsavo post-Swarm of the Unholy. For the rest of you, just know that Unmothered are an incredibly bitching metal band from Austin. And they’re releasing their eponymous debut EP for free. If you still aren’t convinced that you need to download this pronto, it’s probably because you’re bugged by Unmothered’s name due to some severe childhood abandonment issues. Unmothered can’t help you there. But they can help cure your case of All-Metal-Sounds-the-Same-Itis and Unable-to-Headbang Syndrome.

Walker and drummer Daniel Curry sport a less-is-more aesthetic, somewhat in the same gravitational field as other guitar/drum two-pieces Dark Castle and Black Cobra but more elemental than either. Walker’s riffs on “Leviathan” and “Heartache” burrow deep and leave residue in the trenches, thanks to some judicious use of reverb. Curry hits hard and cares more about groove than flash, making him the ideal sticksman for music this spacious and primal. The music’s bruising but not without its moments of pure rock ‘n roll abandon, especially on “The Awakening,” which sounds like the White Stripes covering fellow Austinites The Sword, or vice-versa.

Walker voice sounds like he huffs formaldehyde, and it’s not the best fit for Unmothered’s less vicious moments – the band was wise to keep the godly second half of “Spectre” instrumental, for example. But that friction between Walker’s constricted rasp and the band’s spacious riffing adds unique character to a band that’s not lacking for it to begin with. Bring on the full length. And dudes, please pick a better Facebook photo for the cover next time - Metal Sucks

Wow here's a band from Austin, Texas that doesn't sound like pretencions indie rock garbage masquerading as metal. Although I won't call it original (is anything lately?) what this duo does is clobber you with some bombastic riffs which are part CELTIC FROST/TRIPTYKON, part SABBATH, part a whole helluva lot others out there nowadays. I do believe these guys, Matt Walker and Daniel Curry are not out to ride anyone's coattails but instead are into some serious bone crushing. I think they are walking the razor's edge as far as style goes which is pretty cool. They have five songs on here that musically sew together sick doomish grooves with serpent like blackened vocals. At times they're sail into sweeping dark psych dirges like on the opener "Leviathan", the tripped out violent "Trancendor" and the almighty epicness of "Heartache". Other times they're kicking out a 70's influenced power jam like on "The Awakening" and to some degree "Spectre". Aside from this one these guys are working on a full length which I'm hoping some decent label will catch onto because these guys are pretty fucking good. Their songs are short, all under five minutes, thank you! Who knows, maybe in 2012 they're have album of the year in Decibal Magazine. When you read this (the band that is) don't get too excited guys because I never get those Decibal picks right but good job with this. - Scumfeast Metal 666