If you listen to In This Moment’s most recent music, you can hear singer Maria Brink’s beautiful, soaring vocals accompanying the band’s pop-friendly hard rock riffs, honed over time from a much heavier sound. Brink screamed as often as she sang on the band’s early material, but over time she and guitarist and fellow songwriter Chris Howorth have experimented with more mainstream sounds, incorporating electronic elements along with distorted guitars. Their longtime collaborator is producer and co-songwriter Kevin Churko, who’s worked with everyone from Britney Spears to Ozzy Osbourne, and has been an integral part of ITM’s sound since second album The Dream.
For the band’s sixth album, Ritual, which was released in July, Brink and Howorth also worked with several other outside songwriters, covered Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” and welcomed guest vocals from Judas Priest’s Rob Halford. It’s a testament to how much ITM’s music has evolved. All Music’s review asserts that Brink “possesses one of the most powerful and compelling voices, male or female, in the modern rock genre,” and Ritual is a strong showcase for her talents. Brink and ITM have come a long way from those ultra-heavy early days.
Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq, 4 p.m. Oct. 21, starting at $29.50 plus fee. 702.862.2695
