ALBUM REVIEW: Mount Carcass – Endseeker

Not everything has to break new ground or do something original to be good. An unpopular statement to some perhaps, but demonstrably true. Just one listen to Mount Carcass, the third album from German death metallers ENDSEEKER is certainly enough to disabuse anyone of the notion that you can’t be good if you’re not original. Frankly, if you like death metal with a strong melodic streak and a buzzsaw guitar tone, ENDSEEKER is right up your alley. 

Opener Unholy Rites rampages in at a thrashing speed and never takes its foot off the gas pedal. Even the slower solo section stomps and grooves with a rabid fervour. There’s a keen sense of melody and an ear for hooks, too. Bloodline has chorus so big it would make AMON AMARTH blush, while Merciless Tide brings in some thrashing THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER stylings. Count The Dead steamrolls all in its path with its frenetic pace, while Cult curbstomps all that oppose it. The album isn’t all breakneck riffing and mid-paced groove, though. There’s moments where the band do slow right down and settle into a grinding groove like Moribund’s slower moments. 

Lyrically there’s far more going on than simplistic tales of gore and death as might be expected from such a meat-and-potatoes approach to death metal. The album title and its lyrics are – according to the band – a metaphor for modern society, using the image of an overcrowded ascent up Mount Everest. Dealing with social ills such as the lust for ever-increasing piles of cash, political division and global issues such as climate change that represent a constant threat to humanity’s comfort zones, it’s a distinctly nuanced take that uses the trappings of genre to make something both meaningful and incredibly fun to listen to.

That ENDSEEKER love Swedish death metal is no secret at all – the HM-2 guitar tone, the death’n’roll that ENTOMBED pioneered; all the hallmarks are present and correct. Despite re-treading old ground, though, it bears repeating just how well-written and executed Mount Carcass is. Even on instrumental closer Escape From New York the band keep things exciting; the riff work, while relatively simple, underpins the incredibly catchy, soaring melodic leads that play the album out. 

ENDSEEKER take the death metal moniker seriously while also injecting gleeful pick scraping and divebombs guaranteed to put a smile on even the most dour face. Sure, they’re mainly aping the giants of yesteryear but they’re doing it in a way that’s a lot more nuanced than you might expect with a clear production that still doesn’t lose any of the filth and it’s just so damn fun that it’s impossible not to enjoy. 

Rating: 8/10

Mount Carcass is out now via Metal Blade Records.

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