Since 2008 Arroganz have been churning out their own mix of blackened death metal. The German’s fifth LP, “Morsus” finds them in particularly dark form on an album with a sound that pretty much suits the weird times we find ourselves in.
A thin, chilling soft-spoken word introduction gives way to the clattering drums and dense bass of the title track. Shades of Primordial appear under vocals that are full of passion and rage. The opening salvo of tracks have a brutality that pulls you down but are interjected with almost odd, very brief melodic breaks. Very early on it’s clear this isn’t an album for the faint of heart. There’s a certain feral, ugliness about “Sleepless Forever” with its bile spitting blast and the further you delve into the album the crustier it gets.
Doomier textures appear on “In$ide $uicide” and “Aurora Arroganz” – the slanted, off-kilter riff making it one of the stand out tracks. The second half of the LP is full of short, sharp aural blasts. “Sickpeopledie” has an added level of aggression mixed with a groove before another stab in the shape of “Next Level Satan”. The heavily growled vocals are key to the mix throughout. “Praise Death = Feast Life” has a more introspective riff. Still thick and twisted, it has a dark and brooding atmosphere while the guttural delivery of the lyrics punctuate moments of pace. Closing with “Dealt With The Devil” and it’s sorrowful introduction, it is a fitting end to the raw brutality of the rest of the album. Suddenly exploding into a razor edged riff, there is a final reminder of what this band is about.
Arroganz have delivered a primal slab of darkness with this album. Not an especially easy listen, it is nonetheless an impressive display of extreme music.
(7/10 Johnny Zed)
Leave a Reply