02.12.2017 - 03:59Rating: 7
Well... Mortification strikes back with yet ANOTHER musically amazing album. Vocally..... well that's a different matter. Steve Rowe simple cannot growl anymore. That being said, however, his vocals are slightly better here than on their last record. Mortification have always had a special place in my heart; after all, Post Momentary Affliction was the first death metal album I had ever heard. I will always think highly of Mortification, but the last few records had me thinking Mortification were done for good.
This last record has proved me wrong, there is a lot more musical diversity in some of the songs. We have heaviness and we also have some melody (example of this is towards the end of "the cost")! Totally different for anything Mortification has ever done. The artwork is still less than desirable, but that doesn't really matter, does it?
First I'll talk about the album's vocals. Although Steve doesn't have as much gruff as he did back in the days of Scrolls of the Megaloth or Post Momentary, he still sounds acceptable on this record. I'll be honest, I listened to "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine," just long enough to hear his vocals. For the longest time, his vocals were a complete turn off. For this record, however, Steve's vocals are lower in the mix, and his vocals have a lot lower pitch to them almost like a growl in some spots. Much better than latest records, good job on this record Steve!
Vocals: 6/10
Next let's talk about the guitars. One of the things that keep me coming back to Mortification are the killer riffs! Mortification have always had amazing thrash/death metal riffs, and this much has not changed. The riffs are still super heavy and super amazing. The riff to Feed Your Hungry Ears reminded me of the classic Mortification. There is actually a wicked guitar solo in the middle of the title track. It totally took me by surprise, seeing as it's not usual for Mortification. It surprised me even more when an even BETTER solo started playing during "our anthem." Lincoln Bowen does an unbelievable job on this record. Steve does an amazing job on bass on this album (is there any more to say? He is always amazing and never disappoints).
Guitars: 9/10
Lastly we have the drums. I am a drummer myself, so naturally I pay WAY more attention to the drums than some people would. After all, Jayson Sherlock's beats got me into double bass drumming. But enough about me, let's get back to Mortification! The drums are amazing, as always. One thing you can definitely say about Mortification is they have never disappointed, musically that is. The beats fit the riffs perfectly, and there isn't much you can say about Mortification's drum tracks at this point in their extensive carrier.
Drums: 9/10
Overall: 7/10
side note: GREAT music and acceptable vocals. Overall nice record from these Christian Death Metal masters.
God Bless guys,
Trey.