Spectral Mortuary

From Hate Incarnated

Written by: PP on 11/04/2007 14:35:22

Danish Spectral Mortuary is one of the newcomers this year in the death metal scene. They are as brutal as their other Danish counterparts, as technical and organic as some of the best bands in the genre, and as relevant to the death metal scene as one can be in 2007.

Their debut album "From Hate Incarnated" presents an impenetrable wall of organic riffage and violent drumming, all supported by the infernal growls of vocalist Morten Jorgensen. In fact, I was initially planning on describing the album through the use of the following sound effects: "ROOAAARHHHHHHH RAAHAHHHHHHHH brum brum brum brum brum brumb RAAHHHHHHH brum brum TIDI TIDI TIDI TNKLE TIDI" but it wouldn't be fair to the band, because even though the initial listening experience might be awfully close to my close-minded opinion on most death metal, underneath the noise and the horrific growls lies a platform for some of the most organic and thought out death metal I've heard since Decapitated. You'll be able to hear some bay-area thrash riffs, some Morbid Angel-style purified death metal, and in the midst of it all, incredibly talented solos that are both unique and original. Titles like "Necrotic Flesh Cravings" and "Choked In Soil" should already give you an idea what this band sounds like, but in case you haven't heard gore-grind before, occasional passages in "From Hate Incarnated" explore that route of hastily composed guitars and a seemingly nonsensical structure of noise meets more noise and disgusting lyrics. However, melody hasn't been forgotten either, because when you ignore the bestial growls of Jorgensen, you'll soon notice that the guitar rumbles and drum shackles together create a sound which albeit heavy, carries a sense of melody that shouldn't really be there but is anyway. This is toppled by the solos where the band's technical ability finally comes through clearly, and though it is possible to deduct this already from the body of their music, it never comes across as thoroughly as it does during the Slayer-esque solos.

All in all, "From Hate Incarnated" is an incredibly solid release to be a debut album. The music is organic and varies from song to song without sacrificing any of its brutality, and it is a welcomed change in the Danish death metal scene that tends to focus on the Illdisposed-style death metal for the most part. Spectral Mortuary sounds more American than they do Danish, and perhaps this is the kind of a kickstart the Danish scene needs before it will be considered as highly as their Swedish counterparts. Great debut.

8

Download: Malignant Intentions, Necrotic Flesh Cravings
For the fans of: Morbid Angel, Exmortem, Suffocation, Decapitated
Listen: Myspace

Release date 26.03.2007
Mighty Music
Provided by Target ApS

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