I described Mortillery’s “Origin of Extinction” (2013) album as an absolute blast. From Eskimo country, well Edmonton Eskimos country, come Mortillery to give us a healthy dose of melodic thrash metal.
Once again Mortillery fire off their bullets without delay or respite. “Radiation Sickness” has thrashing power metal energy and is pure motion. I don’t know if I’d forgotten or if the singer has changed but the screaming lady sounds more hoarse than I remember and uncomfortable even, but I can’t fault her or anyone else for lacking commitment on this breathless journey. Tempo changes are not part of the package but there’s plenty of vim and vigour in the guitar work and the drumming. “Age of Stone” is punkish, aggressive and resplendent in guitar finery. With titles like “Bullet”, you know where Mortillery are coming from. However much they conceal it, and to be fair they don’t do it very much, each track ends up in a thrashing screamfest, tinged with power metal, screams and guitar solos according to the menu of the day. A lot of the time this is the whole formula. It certainly makes for lively output but I can’t say originality is stamped through it or even near it. “Mantis”, “Black Friday” and all the rest take us into the world of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Sebastian Bach and the Bay Area thrash vibe of Death Angel. It’s all very generic but at least it is vibrant and entertaining. By “Wendigo”, the vocalist was beginning to sound as if her voice was struggling as the music continued at breakneck speed but the prolonged screams remain impressive. “At the Gates” mixes it up a bit and branches out instrumentally for a moment, almost finding a hardcore spot in the chorus, but we return quickly to the familiar relentless path. “Torture” then takes on a more anarchic structure. The vocalist screams her guts out but it sounds painful. The unremitting and frenzied musical score continues, and by now had become so familiar that the title track which closes the album is something of a blur in spite of its attempt at a dramatic ending.
For me, this was a repetition of Mortillery’s previous album and a replica of many bands on the south side of the Canadian border. To be fair, Mortillery are not trying to be anything other than what they are on “Shapeshifter”, an album which combines struggle with constantly frenetic energy and entertainment value.
(6/10 Andrew Doherty)
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