Over the course of nearly two decades, In This Moment’s founding members, guitarist Chris Howorth and singer Maria Brink, have learned they can overcome virtually any setback.

Now they’re seeing the fruits of their labor, as In This Moment is in their best place and have made what Howorth and Brink feel is the band’s most fully realized album, Godmode, released in October.

“Honestly, when you hit your comfort zone in this business, you know that sometimes things can come along and change or whatever,” Howorth said. “And it’s all about just moving forward and rolling with the punches and just keeping on. Because a lot of times we learned through this band that a lot of times in life when something bad happens and you’re just like, ‘Oh God, this is the end,’ it’s usually an opportunity or a sign of something’s going to change, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a bad change.

“Yeah, we have less panic now when something bad happens,” he said. “We’ve been through some stuff, like losing your whole band. That felt pretty rough.”

Howorth and Brink, in fact, did see the original edition of In This Moment implode. After touring to promote their third album, 2010’s A Star-Crossed Wasteland, the group’s manager, Rob Blasko, dropped the band. That was followed by the departures of guitarist Blake Bunzel (who shared music writing duties with Howorth), drummer Jeff Fabb, and the latest of three bassists, Kyle Konkiel.

Now in a stable spot, the band is set to kick off the second part of their Kiss of Death tour on Thursday, Aug. 1, at The Clyde Theatre. The tour will feature different supporting acts, with We Came As Romans and TX2 making the trip with them to The Summit City.

In This Moment 2.0

Wounded but undeterred by the departures, Brink and Howorth moved forward by recruiting guitarist Randy Weitzel, bassist Travis Johnson, and drummer Tom Hane (since replaced by Kent Diimmel), and have been rewarded.

Looking back, Howorth recognizes that in the early years, he and Brink were searching for a sound and identity as In This Moment, and the inner mechanics of the first lineup weren’t conducive to being a band that functioned smoothly. 

“It does feel like two different bands, 100 percent,” Howorth said. “There are a lot of reasons for that. Over time, I think you grow up and you learn what’s important and what’s not important. 

“At the time of the first iteration of In This Moment, we didn’t really know exactly what we wanted to be, and I didn’t know Maria the way I know her now. And she was still finding what she wanted to be (as a songwriter and performer). And all of us in the band in the first iteration had equal say and were very strong-minded about what we wanted. 

“So, there was a lot of battling over any little thing or any musical thing. It was always kind of a war. And once that changed, when it was more Maria and I, there were still wars and battles, but we kind of homed in more on, I think, what made her feel good and what made me feel good.”

Collaboration

Brink, Howorth, Weitzel, and Johnson have made five albums together with Diimmel on board for the three most recent offerings, and Howorth said the trust and chemistry they’ve built shows on albums and in concerts.

And in the case of Godmode, several factors aligned to help make it one of the smoothest writing and recording processes In This Moment have experienced. 

For one thing, Brink and Howorth wrote the album during the pandemic with no touring on the horizon, so there was no pressure to deliver the album on a deadline. This allowed for a free flow of creativity.

“There was a time when we were constantly clashing,” Howorth said. “I’d bring in an idea and she would think it was too heavy or whatever. It seems like this time, where I am and where she is as far as all of this stuff goes — plus we’ve been doing it for so long — I want to make sure she’s got a good base to come up with some great vocal idea over. 

“If I’m going to send her an idea, I don’t want it to be an idea of me playing a guitar solo and expect her to try to fit in something over that,” he added. “So I’m trying to think of her when I do it. I think all of those things have just played together and everything felt like it happened more naturally.”

Latest effort 

Godmode finds In This Moment delivering a consistently potent set of songs that mix metal and industrial styles and are stoked with some of the band’s sharpest vocal melodies, riffs, and instrumental ear worms. That said, there’s plenty of aggression and angst in the music and lyrics, some of which reflects the turmoil and uncertainty of the pandemic — all punctuated by Brink’s guttural, full-throated screams.

“I think Maria felt she wanted to get all of that stuff out about the pandemic, with like ‘The Purge,’ a lot of the songs have that kind of angst,” Howorth said. 

“The screaming thing, I think the pandemic and the time off and all of that just made her feel like, ‘Ugh.’ And also, there are a lot of bands out there now that are screaming, a lot of girls that are screaming. I think Maria wanted to maybe say, ‘Hey, I planted my flag here a long time ago and it’s still standing.’ It was all organic, though, and she just did it.”

For Godmode, the band’s usual producer, Kevin Churko, wasn’t available. So the band pivoted, collaborating on a few songs with Tyler Bates and then brought in Churko’s son, Kane, who has worked with his father on other In This Moment albums, to produce the bulk of the album.

“We had worked with Kane before. I mean, he has co-written a bunch of our biggest songs,” Howorth said. “He’s always around when we’re in the studio with Kevin. We talked to him and it felt like, yes, let’s do it with him. He’s really hungry, and he’s been doing it for a long time now, too. 

“So we had his energy in there, too, this like, ‘I’m going to prove that I’m not just my dad’s son. I’m my own producer and I can do it just (as well).’”

Now the band get to bring their music to life on stage, and Howorth feels the elaborate shows — which are famous for their choreography, theatrical nature, and staging — are better than ever. 

“I feel like right now, with just the way everything has played out on the tours that we’re on, we’re at our best,” he said. “We have the best show we’ve had. Everything’s dialed in. 

“We’ve been doing it long enough, too, to know what works and doesn’t work. So we have really great choreography going on with the stage and (the dancers), and a really cool lighting show. Maria’s very obsessed with the way things look on stage, so the lights are very detailed. We’re also bringing out some pyrotechnics and some things we’ve never really used before. So it’s really, really a great show.”