Unleashing thrash metal with a similarly keen instinct for death and groove metal, German metallers Mortal Infinity unveil their third album this month. In Cold Blood is a nine track trespass of old school meets new enterprise incitement, a release which left us basking in thick satisfaction.
Hailing from Zeilarn, Mortal Infinity emerged late 2009 and swiftly set about creating and releasing in the May of the following year their first EP, Eternal War. Since then they have unleashed a pair of albums in District Destruction of 2012 and three years later Final Death Denied. Both were well-received without really breaking the band out upon major attention, a possibility which In Cold Blood makes more likely given the luck all artists need.
Presenting a collection of songs which unapologetically embrace the influence of bands such as Exodus, Testament, and Slayer, In Cold Blood swiftly reveals its rich web of flavours within opener Fellowship Of Rats. Immediately riffs urgently descend on the senses, the guitars of Sebastian Unrath and Sebastian Brunner hungrily surging forth as the swings of drummer Adrian Müller bite. It is familiar territory but no less appetising for it. The raw and earnest tones of vocalist Marc Doblinger soon enter the affray too as all the while rapacious basslines escape the strings of Alex Glaser.
It is a great if unsurprising start to the release which is taken up a notch by the following Misanthropic Collapse. From its first breath seriously appetising grooves collude with hunger bearing riffs, rhythms again an imposing attack in the contagion of it all. Once more there is plenty to recognise but there is a freshness which as with its predecessor marks it out before the quickly impressing Repulsive Messiah steps up to prowl the listener within an apocalyptic collage. Within moments it becomes a nagging addiction of guitar as Doblinger stalks the landscape with his predatory words, death metal hues adding to the drama and temptation. Subsequent threads of melodic enterprise vine the confrontation bringing bolder imagination to the band’s sound.
Dream Crusher equally hooked quick and eager attention with its burly outpouring of carnal riffs and voracious rhythms, grooved wiring increasing its compelling presence. A Lamb Of God like spicing only accentuates its potency as too the momentary calm which deceptively hints at a twist but not the one which actually emerges to add to the pleasure.
From the stalking ferocity that is Long Forgotten Gods and the sinisterly Silent Assassin (Champion Of War) to Devastator, Devastated with its voracious and dextrous siege of sound the album only captured the appetite as the specific craft of individuals unitedly caught the imagination, the melodic dexterity veining tracks alone potent persuasion and only accentuated by the shades of death, groove, and heavy metal upon their thrash bred canvases.
The album’s title track equally hit the spot from its initial thrash borne chugging to the rhythmic agility of Müller and the grooved swing of its gait. Drama soaks its every move which only added to the classic breeding it springs from and the inventive dynamics it is shaped with.
Finally Ghost Ship Sailor sails forward to complete the release; the song drifting in on its own murky waters aflame with heavy metal spirals of guitar amidst a death metal sprung climate until eventually its thrash invasion breaks out, rampaging with hostile zeal. Arguably the most adventurous of the tracks and the most imaginative it provides yet another appealing aspect to In Cold Blood, one which took longer to take to but with rich rewards.
In Cold Blood is not without moments which did not quite grab as strongly as others, certain times when its twists and turns felt unnatural yet equally it all added to the intrigue and attraction of an album we only felt full enjoyment with. Whether the release is a breaking moment for Mortal Infinity time will tell but it certainly sees them moving in the right direction.
In Cold Blood is out September 6th; available@ https://mortalinfinityofficial.bandcamp.com/album/in-cold-blood
https://www.facebook.com/MortalInfinity/ https://twitter.com/mortalinfinity
Pete RingMaster 07/09/2019
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
Behind The Glow sets things off, a lure of guitar central to its potent invitation before the song sets off on its thrash nurtured canter. The guitars of Phil Elste and Timo Kammerer only continue to entice as the latter’s gruff tones enter the creative affray. It is an attack though with melodic dexterity strapped to its rhythmic punch, riffs and grooves casting a subtle yet bold web to the aggressive but controlled nature of drummer Lukas Mayr’s strikes and the heavy dark bassline of Max Wopinsk. There is an imagination and craft to band and song though which ultimately holds attention keenest and caps the satisfaction naturally bred by the EP’s great start.
Though for personal tastes the release never quite reached those major heights again, its presence and enterprise is a lofty adventure that continues to beguile, next up Baby Doll providing a fiery blaze of punk shaped rock ‘n’ roll with progressive breath to its winds as melodic seduction fuels its great unpredictability.
The following IQ Model is just as rich a tempting, its gait a calmer virulent but clothed in mysterious atmospheric smog of intimation. The similarly reserved stroll of the radiantly dour bass fuels the blossoming industrial espionage of the song, vocals the magnetic narration to its seduction before the album’s title track got under the skin and had feet, hips, and instincts abound again. Whether an inspiration or coincidence, again eighties bred post punk/new wave spices up a slice of inescapable insistence, the likes of Delta 5, ESG, and Pylon hinted at.
It is a stirring rousing start easily backed by the sonic tapestry that is Akardos. Classic metal lined progressive wiring initiates the temptation, a great slim but rich prowling gait emerging before those early hues inflame the melodic enterprise of Schramm and lead guitarist Aaron Vogelsberg. Darker, heavier shadows soon infest the contagion, the esurient beats of Sam Baw uniting with the magnetic pulsation and lure of Jules RoCkwell’s bass. New threads of sound and styles continue to be keenly woven into the magnetic web before Dark Valley takes over the enslaving of ears and appetite. There is a bedlamic edge to Schramm’s vocals which quickly captured the imagination, one which only escalates across the song as musically too it nurtures an anarchic pandemonium within its skilfully bred infestation; the result which is maybe something akin to Dog Fashion Disco and Mudvayne meets The New Jacobin Club but is truly unique to Sober Truth.
Next up is Walls away, a far calmer affair with a melodic temperament which captivated from its initial lure. It has a raw undercurrent though which accentuates its elegance breeding, that aforementioned unpredictability lurking at every corner while Slaínte (Salud, dinero, amor) has a Celtic lining to its infectious festivities; an Irish Gaelic inspiration which again had the body bouncing across its primarily instrumental canter sharing “good health”.
The opening instrumental welcome of the excellent Auf Bifrösts Rücken rises up with drama and suggestion, its orchestral walls cinematic in their intimation as rhythms build solid foundations to the epic feel of the surroundings. Yet there is a melodic intimacy which equally tempts the imagination before the album’s title track with the same kind of majesty emerges. Swiftly dark tides and imposing rumblings surge as the track erupts into a rousing incitement of threat and seduction. Wieland’s vocals, raw and melodic, alone spark keen attention, their lure matched by the tidal currents and drama of the sounds. Singing in his home language the tale of the song and its companions evaded recognition but there was no escaping the Nordic and dramatic clues to the mercurial and ever darkening escapade.