It was in early 2003 that I saw Mors Principium Est’s “Inhumanity” album advertised in a magazine. I can’t remember the exact description but no doubt melodic death metal from Finland came into it. As an enthusiast for Finnish metal and in particular Norther and the instrumental side of Children of Bodom, I gave it a go. If I had been compiling a top 10 in 2003, “Inhumanity” would have been top on the strength of enjoyment and number of times listened to. The ten brutal songs, driven by killer riffs and oceans of melody, got into my head 24 hours a day. Interestingly I read an interview not long afterwards with a band member who gloomily pronounced that he and his colleagues all fell out with each other during the recording of “Inhumanity”, and they all hated it. Oh, well. They were all happier, I understand, with “The Unborn” (2005) and “Liberation = Termination” (2007) which took the aggression level further and added a wider range of sound effects to the crunchy melodies which delighted me, if not the band themselves, on “Inhumanity”.
Mors Principium Est looked to be a case of Finland’s best kept secret as nothing seemed to happen after “Liberation = Termination”. So it was with great delight that I discovered they are back with “…And Death Said Live”, and there has been no overhaul of the line-up, as sometimes happens. “…And Death Said Live” is another melodic onslaught with all the flamboyant riffage and aggression. Yet this time it takes a while to get going and find the customary rapid-fire blazing guitar and drums which created the pulsating energy I am accustomed to. In fairness, “Inhumanity” wasn’t all speed driven and that did for me very nicely. The strange thing about “…And Death Said Live” is that there’s an unfamiliar element of understatement. This is evident right at the beginning. After the pomp of the short intro “The Awakening”, “Departure” is steady and even soft, taking us down the scale. Yet other aspects are familiar: the riff is utterly compelling, the harsh vocals have presence and the guitar solo is outstanding and integral. “Departure” is a good song but pedestrian by the standards of Mors Principium Est. The drumming is conservative and I sensed an orientation towards subtle shades rather than breathless energy. The keyboards signal a change of mood, but as we move into “I Will Return”, it’s as if the band are hanging back. The drums are now triggering and the search is on for something epic and dramatic. There’s still plenty to admire. The vocalist gives it plenty and the usual hooky rhythm and chorus line are, but it’s lacking potency. Hmm.
The album really started for me with “Birth of the Starchild”. It explodes. I can now use words like “storming” and “breakneck”. Off we race, as the tempo of the aggression is like a pneumatic drill. There’s plenty of room for melody, and there are a couple of really interesting electronic lines to enhance this exhilarating track. The total excellence of “Birth of the Starchild” is then watered down slightly by “Bringer of Light”. The dull and tired-sounding drum beat lets this down. Yet as always, the riffage is outstanding and there’s epic movement but where’s the life? The guitar solo is brilliant but it’s odd to hear the drum pattering on almost as a contractual obligation amidst such a typically spicy rhythm. The gas is turned up on “Ascension”, where the fluttering guitar contrasts with the deathliness of the vocals and instrumentals which display a dark side. There’s always something going on here. The dramatic amalgam of sounds is like a melodic death metal bonfire crackling away. After a wistful interlude to allow us get the breath back that we haven’t entirely lost, the drums start firing and the whole game is notched up. “Destroyer of All” is another good song, with a rich mix of brutality and melody, but this distinguishes itself by its rawness and insistence. My only criticism is that it ends too early. In fact a criticism I have in general is that many of the endings are weak on this album. Never mind, because Mors Principium Est have unearthed a new impetus and blast their way into “What the Future Holds”. The structures are similar: imperious guitar playing, fast drumming and aggressive sounding vocals. It’s more energetic than furious. But it gallops on enjoyably, as it does on the following track “The Meadows of Asphodel”. The guitar leaps everywhere, running up and down the scale and providing flamboyance to the deathly proceedings. The album finishes with “Dead Winds of Hope”. High in the range, the colourful guitar takes along at breakneck speed. The song slows down briefly, then we hear of “the fierce winds” and we soon return to the irrepressible guitar work. There are changes of pace and mood but the overriding atmosphere is of a breathless, forward-driving, melodic battering ram full of top-rate guitar playing, solos, deathly vocals and even rare moments of melancholy. Again there’s an unsatisfactory ending but the quality of the musicianship and intensity of the vocals cannot be denied.
“…And Death Said Live” is a good album. Its riffage is urgent and its melody is plentiful but sometimes the tracks lack excitement, as if Mors Principium Est have taken a wrong turning at a crossroads. Whether it’s the intention to create a more subtle soundscape or there’s just something missing in the production, it lacks the incessantly thunderous impact of its two immediate predecessors and the diversity of “Inhumanity”. Yet had those albums not existed, I’d be saying great things about this album. All the ingredients are there. There are moments when the heights of interest are scaled. Above all the expert musicianship is blended together to ensure another invigorating and enjoyable experience.
(7/10 Andrew Doherty)
Leave a Reply