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After two years of meticulous crafting and the lasting impact left behind from their sophomore offering The Periapt of Absence, which claimed a #11 spot on Decibel Magazine’s Top 40 AOTY and tore through countless year-end lists, Indianapolis death-doom titans MOTHER OF GRAVES return alongside Profound Lore Records with The Light that Keeps Us – set for release on October 16th, 2026.
Seamlessly forging the aggression and power of death metal with the melancholic and romantic edge of melodic doom, The Light that Keeps Us is crushing, hauntingly human, and a true showcase of the band’s authenticity in their expression and care for the genre. Each track serving as a hand to guide the listener through the introspective journey of mortality, sorrow, love and resilience. The band’s dynamic continues to grow under the production of guitarist Ben Sandman, whose work behind the console keeps personal touch prevalent within their music, stripping away the excess and amplifying the things that matter.
At the helm of visual depictions, fine artist Larisa Brechun perfectly captures the weight and depth of the music in her cover painting, providing evocative imagery to accompany the band’s bleak yet uplifting nature. It has become a standard throughout their years to recruit legend Dan Swanö for his mastering expertise, but this time a greater gift presented itself as Dan proudly delivered guest vocals on the track “Wingless Soul”. A full circle moment in the band’s existence, as it gives the album that much more of a special and significant engraving within the world of death doom.
Tracklist:
1. Wingless Soul (feat. Dan Swanö)
2. Through the Pale Shade
3. The Light That Keeps Us
4. Eventide Angel
5. The Silent Weight of the Stars
6. A Moonlit Tryst
7. The Beggar's Allegory
8. The Endless Climb
With ‘The Light that Keeps Us’, Mother of Graves brings to you 8 tracks of despairing beauty laced in emotion and fierce purpose, marking yet another milestone in their promising career.
The Light that Keeps Us – set for release on October 16th, 2026. Pre-orders now live HERE.
ONLINE
LINEUP
Brandon Howe – Vocals, Keyboards
Chris Morrison – Guitars
Ben Sandman – Guitars
Corey Clark – Bass
Don Curtis – Drums
BIOGRAPHY/LOGO
Mother of Graves is an American melodic death/doom metal band from Indianapolis, Indiana, formed in 2019. Drawing heavily from the melancholic atmosphere of early melodic death/doom while retaining a distinctly heavy death metal foundation, the band has established itself as one of the more compelling contemporary acts within the genre.
The group was formed by musicians with long-standing connections to the Indianapolis extreme metal scene. Several of the members had previously crossed paths in bands such as Harakiri, Summon the Destroyer and Bulletwolf, and their shared musical history provided the foundation for Mother of Graves. Guitarists Chris Morrison and Ben Sandman became central to the band's songwriting, joined by vocalist Brandon Howe and drummer Don Curtis. Bassist Thomas Hunt completed the early line-up before later being replaced by Corey Clark.
Mother of Graves made its first substantial statement with the EP “In Somber Dreams”, released in January 2021 through Wise Blood Records. Across four tracks, the band introduced a deeply mournful mixture of melodic death metal and doom, combining crushing riffs, harmonized guitars and atmospheric passages with Howe's powerful growled vocals. The EP quickly attracted attention within the underground and established the musical direction the band would continue to develop.
Their debut full-length album, “Where the Shadows Adorn”, followed in October 2022. The record considerably expanded upon the foundation of the EP, emphasizing sweeping guitar melodies, oppressive doom passages and an atmosphere dominated by grief, solitude and introspection. Recorded and mixed by guitarist Ben Sandman and mastered by renowned Swedish musician and producer Dan Swanö at Unisound, the album demonstrated the band's ability to balance heaviness with memorable melodies and emotionally charged songwriting.
With “Where the Shadows Adorn”, Mother of Graves increasingly became associated with the tradition of melodic death/doom established during the 1990s. Rather than merely reproducing that sound, however, the band developed its own interpretation, allowing elements of traditional death metal, gothic melancholy and atmospheric doom to coexist within a modern and powerful production.
The band's second full-length, “The Periapt of Absence”, was released through Profound Lore Records in October 2024. Once again produced, recorded and mixed by Ben Sandman and mastered by Dan Swanö, the album represented another development of the band's sound. Its eight songs explored themes of heartache, loss, longing and personal struggle, moving between crushing death metal passages, sorrowful melodies and expansive atmospheric sections. The album received considerable acclaim and further strengthened Mother of Graves' position within the modern death/doom scene.
The established line-up of Brandon Howe on vocals and keyboards, Chris Morrison and Ben Sandman on guitars, Corey Clark on bass and Don Curtis on drums continued working together following the album. Their increasingly cohesive songwriting allowed the band to retain the mournful identity of its earlier material while gradually broadening its melodic and atmospheric range.
In August 2026, Mother of Graves announced their third full-length album, “The Light That Keeps Us”, scheduled for release through Profound Lore Records on October 16, 2026. Produced, recorded and mixed by Ben Sandman and once again mastered by Dan Swanö, the eight-track album continues the band's exploration of mortality, sorrow, love and resilience. Swanö also contributes guest vocals to the opening track, “Wingless Soul”, marking a particularly notable collaboration given his long-standing involvement in mastering the band's recordings.
Rooted firmly in melodic death/doom yet increasingly developing an identity of their own, Mother of Graves combine the crushing weight of death metal with mournful harmonies, introspective atmosphere and a strong sense of emotional darkness. Their music bridges the spirit of classic melodic doom/death with a contemporary approach, making them a notable representative of the genre's modern generation.
DISCOGRAPHY
In Somber Dreams (EP, 2021)
Where the Shadows Adorn (Album, 2022)
The Periapt of Absence (Album, 2024)
The Light That Keeps Us (Album, 2026)
GENRE/COUNTRY
Melodic Death Metal/Doom Metal
United States
