Mr Death
Descending Through Ashes
Agonia
Records
2011
After a
rather unimpressive debut album despite the impressive background of
the musicians involved, I approached the new album from these
traditionalist Swedish death metallers with much trepidation. And
I must say, Descending Through Ashes is actually quite good.
First off, the guitar production kills me. The right amount
of mud and fuzz. The opening track has a killer main riff that is
a not so subtle nod to the main melody on Edge of Sanity's In The
Veins/Darker Than Black. The song as a whole though is groovier
than Edge of Sanity. The Plague And The World It Made launches
into a metallic tirade of meaty death. The riffs hack and slash
like a rabid butcher. Around the 1:58 mark the song takes a turn
into pulsing darkness as the riffs get atmospheric and obscure
sounding. The guitars have a certain morbid downtuned sound to
them without really emulating the Sunlight sound. This really
comes to the forefront on a track like Come Winter. The drifting
guitars and chunky riffs serve to connect you with the morbid
atmosphere of the Swedish scene. Your Final Demise dwells in a
bit of more straightforward hostility as it bludgeons you with its
guitars and pounding rhythm. A powerful groove and
straightforward/streamlined approach similar to Grave's Soulless hits
you on From The Valley Of Defilement. As a matter of musical
comparison I am somewhat reminded of Grave's Soulless when applied to
the album as a whole. The final track, The Coiled is a monster of
a song which musically refers to a Swedish classic like Carnage's Dark
Recollection. The thick riffs that flow like mud add a layer of
evilness to the track. Mr. Death have definitely upped their game
in the songwriting and album production departments. Descending
Through Ashes batters and demolishes the listener with its
straightforward, groove-laden death metal approach. Meaty guitars
that assault you like a gang of bloodthirsty maniacs are the
centerpiece to this decidedly good album of Swedish brutality.