Liberation = Termination album artwork

Finnish melodeath act Mors Principium Est is back with their 3rd album “Liberation=Termination“. After two brilliant album releases, this one deserves to have high expectations. Promising not to be another Children of Bodom clone, MPE has surely unveiled another side of melodic death.

Liberation=Termination features 11 tracks. The intro track “Orsus” can be best defined as ambient noise. It’s nothing but useless when compared to other Mors intros like “Another Creation” & “Pure”. The album truly opens up with “The Oppressed Will Rise” which features  some insane drumming and brilliant guitar riffs, alongwith a melodic solo. Just like the previous album, Mors has kept the keyboards atmospheric and at the back. Yet it can be distinctly heard in songs like “Sinners Defeat” & “The Distance Between”. The introduction of electronica in songs like “The Animal Within” & “Liberation=Termination” can make some fans frown. However, mixing the electonica elements with speedy death metal riffs & melodic solos make it quite a pleasant listen. Ville does quite a commendable job with his growling vocals. His pitch never falls & his shrieking vocals are brilliant as well.

There is no song in particular that can be highlighted or called stand-out because Mors have made each & every track superbly. The brilliant guitar techniques,vocals & drumming right from “The Oppressed Will Rise” till “Lost Beyond Retrieval” only speaks about the skillful musicianship of the band. “The Distance Between” is slower than the other tracks, but more mellow & atmospheric. Just like “The Unborn”, this album is filled with melodic solos, but it neither has the pace nor those orgasmic sweep-picking techniques. The instrumental outro track “Lost Beyond Retrieval” is immensely atmospheric, mainly because of the brilliant whammy use coupled with an electrifying solo, ending the album on a perfect note.

Mors Principium Est in this album, has no doubt shifted to a more technical sound by being more technically melodic instead of melancholically melodic. In other words, Mors proves that melodic death is much more than christmas keyboards and acoustic guitars. With Mors, death is surely the new beginning.

Ylem album artwork

“Ylem” is the term used to define the state of elements before the the Big Bang, i.e. it refers to the primordial matter from which all elements were created. This is the new concept of the German black metallers Dark Fortress’ latest album “Ylem”. Like the previous album “Eidolon”, this one is also vocalist Morean’s brainchild, making it quite the odd-one in the mainstream black metal scene.

“Ylem” features 11 tracks. The album kicks off with the title track of the same name. It is quite atmospheric, portraying a grimness that lasts till the end of the song. The songs are all mid-tempo & full of ambiance, making it an unconventional black metal album. The guitars are heavily tuned-down, the distortions are good & some brilliant riffs can be heard. Seraph’s did quite a commendable job with his drumming, maintaining the rhythm throughout. Morean’s vocals are have a dark & ominous appeal which coincides with the album’s atmosphere perfectly. Keyboards can hardly be heard distinctly, but Paymon does a brilliant job in controlling the ambiance.
“Ylem” has multiple stand-out tracks that include “As the World Keels Overs”, “Osiris” & “Wraith”. “As the World Keels Over” is slow but more atmospheric, containing some brilliant melodic yet creepy riffs. “Osiris” features some extraordinary drumming towards the beginning but gets monotonous later on. “Wraith” is the outro track & the most controversial. It is bound to create differences among the fans. “Wraith” is a heavily doom-influenced track featuring Morean’s clean vocals, which surprisingly suits the song & its atmosphere. For me, its an 8-min masterpiece. Morean’s lyrical abilities are beyond criticism as “Wraith”’s lyrics are guaranteed to send some chills down your spine.

“Doomed to linger, a wraith in a withered world,
You will never sleep again.
Lifeless eyes, forever haunted by the void,
Gaze upon the tomb of man.”

The recording is polished as each instrument can be heard distinctly, even the bass guitar. With the release of their sixth album, Dark Fortress’s sound as well as their musical maturity has drastically developed. “Ylem” may not be a “must have” album, but it is certainly worth a listen, because certain songs are bound to make a mark on your memory.