In the same manner, as an unsettled exile who felt the earth’s essence engulfing her, Chellcy Reitsma creates the album “Momento Mori” that personifies every individual craving to seek the unspoken realities of life and its most gruesome aspects. Alternately, Momento Mori, which means ‘remember you must die’, indicates that there are sufficient grounds to continue living despite the stresses and vulnerabilities of life. A cocktail of blues, alt-rock, Americana, and rockabilly would account for the origin of this vintage sound married in a noir film stock.
The album is crowned by “Dark Times” as the last song of the record in the first place offers a chilly and remote feeling that is built around the singing in a dull tone and the numerous instruments that accompany it. “The Darkness” echoes these thoughts and takes them further on the issue of the weight of existence. “Fleshbot Prison (Extended)” is up there too, with its abrupt aggressive vocals and an obnoxious reminder of its essence that heavily angers participants of the proceedings. Next in line is the lyrical content of the matter, telling a story with “Boat to Nod”s’ intricate melodies, and “Sad Lullaby” is, in a different approach, so easy on the ears and leaves a person’s heart feeling such deep emotions. “Phoenix Fly” is a nice upbeat song about coming back stronger, very necessary because it brings a sense of optimism throughout the rest of the album which is rather sad. “Death’s At The Door” is both terrifying and thought-provoking at the same time, contemplating the reality of having an end, where the voice of Chellcy adds more intrigue to the song.
However, in this particular case, Chellcy’s work cannot be described otherwise than using two extremes, life and death, in the wider context which is being presented through the idea of the album. Authenticity and vulnerability seem to be the way to go with Chellcy’s artistry and these qualities are quite rare in music nowadays. Momento Mori is a captivating musical piece, but instead of sadness and taking the audience out of the action it was thankfulness and fondness of emotions that surrounded the audience to thoughts of the beauty of life and how fleeting it is.
Follow Chellcy Reitsma on Spotify, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Also Visit her Official Website
