MORTUARY DRAPE - Buried In Time

MORTUARY DRAPE
Buried In Time
Avantgarde Records
7/10





From the moment you pop in the disc, Morbid Angel instantly comes to mind. But whereas the initial technical trickery of these accomplished black artisans is reminiscent of that style of playing, ‘Buried In Time’ illustrates a group that has formed an impressive album of death metal with a razor sharp edge.

The quality of the production here is simply awesome. You’ve never heard such excellent drum and cymbal tones on a death metal record before, and the mix is dead on. The record was recorded at AlphaOmega studios, hailed as one of the predominant recording facilities in Italy.

Guitarist Cruel Abbot has an interesting style which is progressive and iconographic, damaging with its concentrated vehemence. The onslaught of tracks like ‘Unfading Revenge’ and ‘Look Behind’ palpitate with a dark energy and vindictive force.

Drummer War Machine Helgast performs complex, laborious double kick patterns and difficult time signatures with painstaking precision. His performance stands out as that of an extremely focused and rehearsed player and his skills place him among the elite of the genre.

Diabolical ringleader and only remaining founding member Wilderness Perversion has a predictably granular growl, but he enunciates well, making his acrimonious lyrical rampages understandable and much more listenable than some singers who just scream unintelligibly. His performance is especially capable on ‘Who Calls Me’. Arcane of Veiled Light (yes that is his name) manages some decent bass fills on occasion and capably supports the drumming madness of Helgast.

Mortuary Drape remains a band to be reckoned with and line up changes has further enhanced the capabilities of this weighty group.

Written By: Harvester Crowlee