MÜTTERLEIN... is really a strange band or project name (especially as it comes from a (young) French woman), which conjures up odd associations and yes, even a certain defensive demeanor. M Ü T T E R L E I N... Just let it roll on your tongue back and forth. But, of course, a name that makes you curious about who and what is behind it.
Musically described as dark, ritual, noise, doom, ambient, black, post and experimental, to name but a few, MÜTTERLEIN has appeared on the line-up of festivals that are known for extraordinary and outsider artists, such as Roadburn, Ascension, L'Homme Sauvage and last year's Servants Of Chaos.
The best references to immediately attract my attention. Though, the second album Bring Down The Flags (2021) slipped past me almost unnoticed and on the sidelines. It was the live recording from the Servants Of Chaos Festival that finally blew me away. And now MÜTTERLEIN has my full attention ;)

MÜTTERLEIN is the solo project of composer and multi-instrumentalist Marion Leclercq, which she set up after the break-up of her former band Overmars. To say it straight away: Musically, it is far, far away from the former sludge metallers.
By the way, Marion Leclercq chose the name MÜTTERLEIN in allusion to the German 60s and 70s icon Nico, who, as she says, “in many ways dismantled the unbearable myth of ‘femininity’ that was imposed on us”.
Women and femininity are the major theme in Marion Leclercq's work, especially their abuse. Her brand new third effort, Amidst The Flames, May Our Organs Resound, also revolves around the abuse of the female body as a historical trauma: "Amidst The Flames, May Our Organs Resound" is a musical tribute, a memorial work that explores the deep wounds left by oppression throughout history. This album is an ode to all those who have suffered in silence, especially women, whose bodies have been instrumentalised and sacrificed, like Anarcha Westcott, a tragic and emblematic figure in the history of modern gynaecology."

On Amidst The Flames, May Our Organs Resound, Marion Leclercq further hones and shapes the sound of its predecessor. The production is clearer, more powerful and more defined, the songs are even denser and more haunting. The vocals stand out a little more than on the second album, but still leave the soundscapes to take the lead and create the atmosphere, with the vocals merely setting accents. Marion Leclercq's voice is raw and intense, especially on Division Of Pain, a song where she breaks out musically to a certain extent. In clear moments, she reminds me a little of Brutus' Stefanie Mannaerts. The electronic beats have also become heavier and remind me of her compatriot Perturbator.

Amidst The Flames, May Our Organs Resound is an angry album, claustrophobic, dark and dystopian. Melancholy has no place here. The atmosphere develops of its own accord with the first tones - Leclercq doesn't try to stage it or set it up artificially, and that I find quite impressive.
At the same time, Amidst The Flames, May Our Organs Resound is also extremely mesmerizing. Monotonous and repetitive drum and rhythm patterns create an almost ritualistic character, which can be heard particularly well on Ivory Claws. However, this track is also a good example of the fact that the aforementioned monotony and repetitions kind of aimlessly meander through the album. It seems, after the flawless opening duo from the intro Anarcha and Concrete Black on, that every new song increases a tad in its aimlessness. Division Of Pain takes it up a notch again, only to drop off more noticeably afterwards.
On Memorial One and Memorial Two, Marion Leclercq is supported by Dehn Sora (also responsible for all the visuals on this album) and his ambient project Treha Sektori (by the way part of the Church Of Ra, which MÜTTERLEIN would also fit in very well).
The album is so dark that it should inevitably drag you down. But it doesn't. It's more of an album that you let yourself fall into and lose yourself in. And this lostness is intensified by occasional breaks, which blur the boundaries between tracks and make Amidst The Flames, May Our Organs Resound a complete work.
Admittedly, you have to have a soft spot for this kind of music, otherwise this album will probably be more of a nightmare. Also, the (felt) intensity of the album certainly depends on your own current state of mind, similar to an Amenra listening experience.

The album's shortcomings are marginal and don’t diminish the listening experience. I anyway am absolutely fascinated by Amidst The Flames, May Our Organs Resound and can't get enough of it. And I absolutely have to see MÜTTERLEIN live now!