ALBUM REVIEW: Mortal Coil – Dödsrit
What a difference a single album can make; in 2018, with the release of their fantastic second album, Spirit Crusher, DÖDSRIT, an at the time one man affair that incorporated some of the best components of black metal and crust punk, were catapulted into the unchartered territories of critical acclaim and wider recognition outside of the underground circles the band were operating in until that point, with an album that proved to be one of the best marriages of black metal and punk since MARTYRDÖD‘s more celebrated records. Now, two and a half years later, with a full line-up and a much sharper, expansive sound, DÖDSRIT are back with Mortal Coil, an album that takes the best qualities of Spirit Crusher and amplifies them, cementing their place at the forefront of blackened crust in the process.
The Third Door, with its ethereal guitar sound and tight, intricate drumming, sets an intense and driven pace right out of the gate. The sharp and visceral quality of the music is matched by the acerbic, biting edge of the vocals, giving this a tight yet cavernous sound that manages to blend the grandiose with the caustic extremely well. The mix of harsher guitar tones with lighter cleaner ones adds a diverse feel to everything, keeping the listener guessing as the song progresses.
Shallow Graves takes the huge atmospheric sound of the opening track and injects a healthy dose of catchy melodic leads, along with some jarring, cacophonous moments and a throatier, more forceful vocal delivery, making this song simultaneously even more memorable and rabid than its predecessor. It’s hard to make a lengthy piece of black metal sound punchy, but the band manage to pull this off with aplomb here.
Mortal Coil sees the band’s underlying second wave influences come more prominently to the fore, shedding some of polished production in favour of a denser, more claustrophobic guitar sound, and feral, howling vocals, whilst still maintaining the hair-raising and soaring riffs and glorious ambience that made the first two tracks so appealing. It results in a modern take on a classic, tried and tested style that works incredibly effectively. The dirtier tone, hard rock swagger and frenetic drums which have defined the bands earlier albums is allowed to come forward here, giving a nod to the band’s black/crust punk roots without it feeling forced, and adding another layer to this fantastic, energetic offering.
Apathetic Tongues makes use of a very similar formula as the last track, with palpable, old school black metal blending seamlessly into bombastic, melodic guitars, with a few subtle, punk inspired drum hooks adding even more depth to an already massive sound, capping the album off with by far one of its more imaginative and engrossing songs.
How do you follow up an album as monumental as the likes of Spirit Crusher? The answer it seems, is that you take the formula of that record, apply a tighter, more atmospheric production to proceedings and use this to accentuate the best elements that album had to offer. The guitar work on here, notably, is far more diverse than on its predecessor, and is relatively lively and technical where the hooks on Spirit Crusher rely on a more minimalistic style, something that makes this album so engrossing from start to finish. The one, very minor criticism that can be levelled at this album- and it really does feel like clutching at straws trying to find any weak points in the songwriting here – is the fact that the bass is far less prominent in the sound of Mortal Coil.
On the whole, however, this is not only a magnificent album in its own right, but also a fitting follow up to an equally impressive record. Hopefully, with this album and the new line up, DÖDSRIT will be able to take their music to even more lofty and impressive heights.
Rating: 9/10
Mortal Coil is out now via Wolves Of Hades Records.
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