intothewellsabyss

Jul 13, 20235 min read

In This Moment — A Star-Crossed Wasteland

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

13 years ago today, we were welcomed to “The Gun Show”!

On this day (July 13) in 2010, In This Moment released their third full-length album, “A Star-Crossed Wasteland” in the United States via Century Media Records.

“A Star-Crossed Wasteland” was named by Alternative Press as one of the most anticipated releases of 2010. This is the first album not to feature bassist Jesse Landry; it is also the band's only album to feature bassist Kyle Konkiel, and the last album with founding members rhythm guitarist Blake Bunzel and drummer Jeff Fabb.

Background:

Before the band started their first headlining tour in late 2009, vocalist Maria Brink announced that they had begun writing songs for their upcoming third album to be released the following summer.

In January, the band described the sounds of “A Star-Crossed Wasteland” in a Myspace posting, talking about their plans for 2010:

“As far as direction for the new album everyone in the band is feeling a heavier/ darker vibe, We want the lush production and melodic layers from "The Dream" with the raw power and aggression from "Beautiful Tragedy" all mixed together...we are the kind of band that musically does what we want, from the heart, we do not follow trends or fads, the new ITM album will be no exception, we are writing from our heart and I can promise you what you hear from us next will be 100% THE REAL DEAL, no flavor of the week bullshit here.”

Brink says working with Churko was the obvious choice:

"We worked with Kevin Churko on the last album, and that's who we want. He's our dude. He can take the second album that we just had, still go heavy, but not sound just like our first album and grow into something new and evolved. We want to move up without sounding like we've gone backwards."

Production and recording began in February 2010 at the Wolve's Den in Las Vegas. This is also the first studio album to feature new bass player, Kyle Konkiel. The album was completed in April and Brink announced the release date during an interview at the REVOLVER Golden God Awards.

Influences, Style and Themes:

In January 2009, Brink revealed two working song titles, "The Gun Show" and "The World Is On Fire" on her website. Lyrically, Brink drew inspiration from her personal life, mostly the ending of her relationship with DevilDriver bassist Jon Miller. She describes her experiences on the album title and its meaning, "I wrote about my experiences and kinda this metaphorical story type thing. There is definitely an underlying theme for this whole entire album of this post-apocalyptic wasteland world and 'star-crossed lovers' is obviously where these two people are meant to basically fail and it's not gonna work out, so it's this Star-Crossed Wasteland world."

The sound of “A Star-Crossed Wasteland” takes elements from both “Beautiful Tragedy” and “The Dream”, but with a darker and heavier sound. Chris Howorth describes:

"We went in a much heavier direction on this album. We feel it's our defining album. Just the right mix of aggression and melody."

Howorth also does the backing vocals for many of the songs such as "Iron Army", "The Road", and "The Last Cowboy". "The Promise" is a duet featuring vocals by Adrian Patrick, lead singer of Otherwise. Originally, the male vocal parts were intended for Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch.

Release & Promotion:

A teaser trailer was released on May 19 containing a small snippet of a new song, "The Gun Show". A few weeks later, a new trailer was released featuring an extended clip of the song, a first look at the music video and also a glimpse of the album cover artwork.

On June 1, "The Gun Show" premiered on Sirius XM Radio Liquid Metal channel along with an interview with Brink. Three other songs were also premiered that night including "Iron Army", "Standing Alone", and "Blazin".

On June 14, clips of the album can be previewed on iTunes, a full month before the release date. Another track, "Just Drive" was made available for online streaming on July 3. The entire album was available for streaming on July 9.

Singles:

• "The Gun Show" is the first single and was released on iTunes on June 1. The song was also available for streaming on their Myspace and Facebook page on June 8.

• "The Promise" was released as the album's second single and is the first track for active rock and alternative radio stations in the US. A video for the song was filmed around the same time as "The Gun Show".

Tours & Performances:

The band supported the album by touring from July to August 2010, and they participated in the Mayhem Festival 2010.

Critical Reception:

The album received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release. The NewReview gave the album a 4 out of 5 and stated "The band have put out a monumental work that is utterly and completely enjoyable that sets the standard— and boy is it high."

The Boston Herald gave it a B+, calling Maria Brink's vocals "a roaring, emotional hellion and much more than just a pretty face."

MSN Music called the record "powerful" and labeled it some of the "heaviest stuff they've ever recorded."

The album received 4.5 stars from Alternative Press, which felt that the band have created a "modern metal masterpiece".

Chad Bower of About.com rated the album 3.5 of 5 stars, and said of Brinks vocals, "The transitions between singing and screaming seem smoother this time around."

Lenny Vowels of the 411mania.com gave “A Star-Crossed Wasteland” 7 out of 10 stars—"good" according to the 411 Legend—and summarized his review by saying:

"As a whole, with this album, it seemed like In This Moment finally took the necessary steps towards becoming a bigger band in America. The album sounds quite a bit more mainstream than their previous two releases. It's not so much bad as it is hit-and-miss. Thankfully, it's mostly a hit. While I certainly can't say I'm a fan of everything on this album, the positive sides bring the goods. Maybe this will be the album that finally gets In This Moment the amount of exposure they need in the U.S."

Phil Freeman of AllMusic compared the album's sound to the works of Italian Gothic Metal band Lacuna Coil and commented:

"Established fans of In This Moment will love “A Star-Crossed Wasteland”, but as their best album, it's also a perfect introduction for a newcomer."

Commercial Performance:

“A Star-Crossed Wasteland” debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard 200, selling approximately 10,500 copies in its first week of release. It also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Independent albums chart and No. 8 on the Top Hard Rock albums chart. This was the highest chart position to date by the band, beating its 2008 predecessor which debuted at No. 70 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 8,000 copies.

Release History:

Europe - July 9, 2010

United Kingdom - July 12, 2010

United States - July 13, 2010

Japan - August 25, 2010

United States (Record Store Day - Vinyl) - November 25, 2016

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “A Star-Crossed Wasteland” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-star-crossed-wasteland/1045500822

Click this link to listen to “A Star-Crossed Wasteland” via Spotify: A Star-Crossed Wasteland https://open.spotify.com/album/2byvabkqGEA7G4viYaoOlp

Click this link to watch the official music video for “The Gun Show”: https://youtu.be/MwTv45OW5Yw

Click this link to watch the official music video for “The Promise”: https://youtu.be/-uakxkjYMDI

Click this link to follow In This Moment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialinthismoment

Click this link to follow Maria Brinks Wonderland on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mbwonderland

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells