Having been relatively quiet since releasing third album “Ye Canariae Abezan” in 2017, Muert emerge from the Spanish underground once more. Formed in 2010 and describing themselves as “Canarian Terror Metal”, their raw, aggressive musical aesthetic is seemingly at odds with the traditional image of their Tenerife habitat.
“Anti-Christianity” and “dark chronicles of Tenerife” are noted on Metallum as their lyrical themes; the dark chronicles aren’t the British invasion of 1797 or eruption of Mt Teide in 1909, nor the airport disaster of 1977 and certainly not the latter day debauchery of Club 18-30 tourists. Tenerife is actually far richer in history than most would suspect, particularly regarding the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands (the Guanches) who arrived on the archipelago long before the Spanish wiped them out in the 15th century.
Indeed, though the album title is the Latin word for “heresy”, the prime inspiration for song titles appears to be from morbid local legends such as the curse Of Laurinago (“La Maldición de Laurinaga”), the girl of the pears (“¡La Niña de las Peras!”), and the witches of Anaga (“Las Brujas del Bailadero de Anaga”). These are accompanied by references to archaeology such as the Canarian pyramids (“Majanos de Chacona”), whilst “Dámaso, El Brujo” tells the more modern tale of the Canary Islands notorious serial killer between 1981 and 1991.
The band are described in various promotional material as black metal, but sonically this is closer to savage, riff driven old school death metal. The delivery is raw and energetic, and whilst this leads to occasional sloppy performance, the unbounded enthusiasm and aggression is clear to hear in every song. There are plenty of tempo changes and addictive riffs to pull in the listener, whilst the furious vocals frequently reach a frenzied pitch.
Album closer “Majanos de Chacona” is probably the stand-out track for me. It features a cleverly spiralling verse riff that alternatively ascends and descends, just as the builders of the Canarian pyramids referenced in its title likely had to carry stones up and down.
“Haeresis” is a great listen for those who like their metal raw, filthy and aggressive, and I expect these songs will definitely come to life more in a live environment.
(7/10 Doogz)
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