30 years after their demo, MORTEM are back with a debut full length album of True Norwegian Black Metal! Out now via Peaceville Records. Let us see if the wait has been worthwhile.
Glistening ambience and cold soundscapes draw the release into fruition, reminiscent of Enslaved back in their heyday with brooding synths, filled with foreboding tension. Snarling vocals and hammering drums pound in with traditional Black Metal riffs and gorgeous synths. I am immediately reminded of Old Man’s Child and Anorexia Nervosa with this bands rawly driven but also rather gentle approach that is ambient, gorgeous and piercing with the icy northern sound. The exciting drum changes from Hellhammer are as impeccable as always, as are the Satyricon style guitar riffs that surge through progressive melodics while staying true to style, backing up an onslaught of vomited vocal mayhem. Such prolific musicians working together certainly is something to be excited about and while a lot of this album has a generic Scandinavian Black Metal template, these are guys who have earned the right to use it. It still has its weirder moments especially with the synths that have some almost techno parts, a lot like Master’s Hammer. There are some huge sounds on this record with an excellent production style that is haunting and gives a massive occult vibrancy that is captivatingly dark and brilliantly concocted. There is also plentiful powerful riffs and drum fills to hit hard with the true Black Metal fury we expect from these seasoned musicians. Some may conjecture that there is little new from this release but with this potential criticism aside, there is still a fantastic amount of variety and killer musicianship that makes it absolutely worthwhile, especially for fans of early Ulver, Emperor, Old Man’s Child, Enslaved and Dimmu Borgir. There is also plenty of catchiness which will certify that the songs remain stuck in your skull, ringing out and demanding re-listens of the album. Overall a really solid effort, a cool addition to the discography of some marvellous musicians and a thoroughly enjoyable release. -7.5/10
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