Morbid Flesh- Reborn In Death
Morbus Chron- Sleepers In The RiftI could not think of a more appropriate time to write my first double review then after listening to these two new LP's. On one hand we have Spanish Death Metal band Morbid Flesh, and on the other we have Swedish Death Metal band Morbus Chron. Both bands play a very similar style of Death Metal, one that hems closely to the very roots of the genre: early Obituary, early Death and most obviously early Autopsy. The sound is unmistakeable: blast-beat free and decidedly Old-Fucking-School. So what is the difference? Only one is worth listening to.
Sleepers In The Rift, the first LP from Morbus Chron, fits the aesthetic perfectly while at the same time being utterly worthless. Inoffensive, safe and completely listless, Sleepers In The Rift goes through 9 tracks in the most painfully uninteresting way possible while mindlessly ripping off Severed Survival for it's entire 34 minute running time(which feels much longer and elicits more yawns and feelings of total disinterest than any album barely over half an hour ever should.) Add in a vocal attack which brings to mind a mentally-disabled and dangerously drunk John Tardy(a fully-functional Tardy is unbearable enough) and you have a recipe for a headache and a shitty album. The phrase "all style, no substance" was made for an album like Sleepers In The Rift, which is an embarrassing symbol to the obsession with Old-School credibility and 13 year old metalfags who talk like they saw Death in Florida just after they released Scream Bloody Gore. Only in this time when scene credibility matters more than competency or creativity could an album like Sleepers In The Rift ever find a legitimate audience.
Reborn in Death is everything that Morbus Chron failed miserably to accomplish with Sleepers In The Rift: each riff has power and heft that smacks the listener right in the head like the pick-axe of an inbred psychopath, while the ferocious vocal attack alternates deftly between a solid and very old-school sounding guttural and one of the more unique, and awesome, high vocals I have heard in a long time. The drums carry weight and smash against your ear-drums, and the grim and Doom-laden atmosphere creates a feeling of impending and ever encroaching death. Imagine a faster, more technically active Decrepitaph, and you have some idea of what to expect for a portion of Reborn in Death. Despite being an incredibly young band, with only demo before releasing their debut LP, Morbid Flesh show a comprehension of Death Metal that is hard to deny. While using early Death, Obituary and Autopsy as a baseline, Morbid Flesh jump around almost the entire early history of Death Metal: "Gulag(Cracked Bones)" has an overwhelming Altar of Madness feel, while "Impaled Ratzinger" brought to mind early Suffocation at certain points. Meanwhile, Morbus Chron fearfully stick to Severed Survival and never let go, living in dread terror that any semblance of originality or uniqueness will draw the ire of quick little fingers behind a keyboard.
I wish I could say something positive about Sleepers In The Rift, or mention a specific song as a highlight, but after a dozen listens I was tuning it out on instinct: in contrast, I have listened to Reborn in Death almost two dozen times for the sheer enjoyment of it. Reborn in Death is more powerful, more adventurous, more technically proficient and flat out more interesting. Throughout the whole process, Sleepers In The Rift had only one thing over Reborn in Death: a superior album cover. Score one for aesthetic, hype and internet credibility, score a whole hell of a lot more for good music.
Rating: Sleepers In The Rift: 4/10
Reborn in Death: 9/10
Sleepers In The Rift, the first LP from Morbus Chron, fits the aesthetic perfectly while at the same time being utterly worthless. Inoffensive, safe and completely listless, Sleepers In The Rift goes through 9 tracks in the most painfully uninteresting way possible while mindlessly ripping off Severed Survival for it's entire 34 minute running time(which feels much longer and elicits more yawns and feelings of total disinterest than any album barely over half an hour ever should.) Add in a vocal attack which brings to mind a mentally-disabled and dangerously drunk John Tardy(a fully-functional Tardy is unbearable enough) and you have a recipe for a headache and a shitty album. The phrase "all style, no substance" was made for an album like Sleepers In The Rift, which is an embarrassing symbol to the obsession with Old-School credibility and 13 year old metalfags who talk like they saw Death in Florida just after they released Scream Bloody Gore. Only in this time when scene credibility matters more than competency or creativity could an album like Sleepers In The Rift ever find a legitimate audience.
Reborn in Death is everything that Morbus Chron failed miserably to accomplish with Sleepers In The Rift: each riff has power and heft that smacks the listener right in the head like the pick-axe of an inbred psychopath, while the ferocious vocal attack alternates deftly between a solid and very old-school sounding guttural and one of the more unique, and awesome, high vocals I have heard in a long time. The drums carry weight and smash against your ear-drums, and the grim and Doom-laden atmosphere creates a feeling of impending and ever encroaching death. Imagine a faster, more technically active Decrepitaph, and you have some idea of what to expect for a portion of Reborn in Death. Despite being an incredibly young band, with only demo before releasing their debut LP, Morbid Flesh show a comprehension of Death Metal that is hard to deny. While using early Death, Obituary and Autopsy as a baseline, Morbid Flesh jump around almost the entire early history of Death Metal: "Gulag(Cracked Bones)" has an overwhelming Altar of Madness feel, while "Impaled Ratzinger" brought to mind early Suffocation at certain points. Meanwhile, Morbus Chron fearfully stick to Severed Survival and never let go, living in dread terror that any semblance of originality or uniqueness will draw the ire of quick little fingers behind a keyboard.
I wish I could say something positive about Sleepers In The Rift, or mention a specific song as a highlight, but after a dozen listens I was tuning it out on instinct: in contrast, I have listened to Reborn in Death almost two dozen times for the sheer enjoyment of it. Reborn in Death is more powerful, more adventurous, more technically proficient and flat out more interesting. Throughout the whole process, Sleepers In The Rift had only one thing over Reborn in Death: a superior album cover. Score one for aesthetic, hype and internet credibility, score a whole hell of a lot more for good music.
Rating: Sleepers In The Rift: 4/10
Reborn in Death: 9/10
