MORS PRINCIPIUM EST - Inhumanity
August 13, 2003, 20 years ago
(Listenable)
Puzzled by Soilwork's Figure Number Five? Can't understand why In Flames would cover a Phil Collins-era Genesis cut on their recent EP? Don't fret, a strangely named act from Finland may just be the saving grace of extreme Scandinavian melodic death. And this from a band's whose first demo appeared in late 2000. Two demos later and Listenable snaps up this six-piece, sends 'em to the famous Tico-Tico Studios in Finland and the rest is history. While the band no doubt had their fair share of Slaughter Of The Soul listening sessions, Inhumanity is clearly not an imitator, but a record that succeeds in building on the past, yet giving it a seasoned twist for 2003; think Children Of Bodom with more zest and less cheese. The record is relentless and unforgiving; it's molten metal riveting you to your seat. And the variety of velocity and actual song construction and reconstruction breathes new life in death. Cranium-meets-concrete tracks like 'Another Creation' and 'In My Words' meld precision speed with classic melodic guitar riffs. The brooding 'Life In Black' bleeds a serious tone, whereas the most infectious of the lot are 'Eternity's Child' (see lead-off KnuckleTrack in this ish) and the title track; both see faint keyboards unite gracefully with the twin-axe attack. Although their bizarre name will hold them back, Mors Principium Est has upped the ante once again in an otherwise overcrowded genre.
