TAD MOROSE - Revenant
November 23, 2013, 11 years ago
(Despotz Records)
Appropriate title for the first album from Swedes since their excellent Modus Vivendi, a decade ago. Really surprised they are still a going concern. In the best moments here, TAD MOROSE was somewhere between early SAVATAGE (OK, not Fight For The Rock era) and ICED EARTH: staccato chug of guitars, clickety clack drums and meaty, Tim “Ripper” Owens-inspired vocals that occasionally soar skyward. Never better than ‘Death Embrace’, however throughout the dozen tracks, the tempo rarely raises above a punishing plod (apart from blazing opener, ‘Beneath A Veil Of Crying Souls’ and brief guitar solos). ‘Spirit World’ comes close to speeding across the finish line. Lackluster: not sure there’s enough here to warrant a “comeback."
