Buried in Time

From a chronological point-of-view one should place this act right next to Necrodeath, Schizo, and Bulldozer as one of the four genuinely extreme metal outfits from Italy. The band’s early demos were intense, raw-sounding thrash-peppered black metal slabs along the lines of early Bathory, with elusive more melodic undercurrents making themselves felt largely through the surprisingly stylish lead guitar work. Alas, unlike the other three mentioned bands, the guys didn’t get admission to the full-length echelon and retained their low profile, more or less voluntarily, as supervisors of the underground.

However, the moment the guys started churning out official releases in the 90’s, their fortunes changed very quickly due to their visionary approach to the genre which comprises an original, diverse mix of black and death metal, one that tolerated more complex excursions and other less extreme influences. A larger-than-life sound that was exercised for a string of three full-lengths and EP’s that lasted all the way to the dawn of the new millennium.

It’s debatable whether “Tolling 13 Knell” was the culmination of the guys’ interesting, ambitious style, but on the album reviewed here their fanbase experienced a sudden, not heralded in any way, switch to no-bars-held thrash blending the old and the modern school in a fairly convincing manner. The dry, sterile guitar sound is a fair departure from the warmer, more melodic approach of earlier recordings, but to some this innovation may be the better option as the band take no prisoners with the vigorous headbanging opener “Unfading Revenge”, pure bashing, unadulterated thrash which some may deem just a casual deviation having in mind the wide palette covered on previous instalments. Well, the moment the following “Deep Void” begins with these sharp lashing thrashing riffs, the listener will have no choice but to realize that there will be no mercy shown this time, and that the thrashing melee will occupy a much bigger space. And not only, but it grows into something more complex and technical on the excellent “Ectoplasm” which combines serene balladic sections with stylish intricate shreds all the way to “Mistery… Guide Us to Death” that brings back the keyboard motifs from the earlier efforts to assist another quite intense thrash, this time also a bit death-ornated as well, rifforama.

“Look Behind” rather looks back by introducing sparse brutal blacky blast-beats into the otherwise thashclad frame which is on the more ambitious progressive side here with a wider gamut of moods and tempo changes. “Who Calls Me” is an encompassing thrash/death saga recalling Nocturnus and Infernal Majesty with the dark atmosphere instilled and the more technical fretwork; and “Spiritism Around Us” is a more relaxed mid-tempo piece with great melodic leads and an alluring balladic etude. “Animism” is a nice short technical thrasher which warms the setting for “Your Last Cradle”, a progressive thrashterpiece with mazey riff-formulas and sudden fast-paced surges. “Crosses in Graveyard” retains the complexity by adding more death metal-ish impetuosity into the fore, echoing later-period Infernal Majesty again and Messiah for another thrilling less ordinary, also quite hyper-active at times, ride.

For me personally this album was a really pleasant surprise as I couldn’t quite warm up to the band’s at times overdone amalgam of extreme styles on previous showings, and the move towards more stripped-down, thrashier ways of expression was more than welcome. What prompted the guys to shift gears is not quite clear, but in the camp of such auteurs anything could be expected… the configurations are literally infinite, and if their decision was to flirt with the good old thrash then why should anyone complain? Cause there were some who couldn’t get into this effort whole-heartedly, even viewing it as some kind of betrayal.

Betrayal or not, it worked for me as well as for other fans the band proving themselves equally capable in pulling out several styles with admirable dexterity. A lengthy break followed the guys obviously thinking whether to dive deep into the heart of the thrash, or to return to the multifarious concoctions of old… said break stretched to a whole decade, the period of rumination producing a worthy look back at the band’s black/death histrionics, an intriguing opus that isolated the album here as a freaky incident in the guys’ discography. Well, it’s incidents like that that make life interesting and meaningful so let’s hope our friends here will be more incident-prone in the future.

This is an album that feels off, not because they were misstepping their musical timings or lacking in musical ability. It is just their mechanics; the inner workings. How their clock now ticks to a different chime. Though one that rings with a new sound that is troubling to the ears, potentially avoidable, and remembered with bad sentiment for all of the wrong reasons.

Like some supernatural force, Mortuary Drape began with this indisputable darker agenda, maintaining their occult phenomenon through small rituals and obscured atmospherics. Not too long after 'Tolling 13 Knell' came out I thought that they were a pretty thorough band. Even if we're comparing 'Buried in Time' to this last album where they would likewise roster up new cult fellowship. Although the worst part about 'Buried' is this album doesn't even seem to fully work on its own. And that in itself is an unfortunate event for such a unique band with such a firm prior stature. Even with a crack at releases in the 90s, they maintained themselves like a pivotal statue, grotesque in form but resonating with this blackened visual sense that you'd have to crane your neck to look up at with a kind of raw enthrallment.

I could go on about the cleaner sounding production here, but even with the underlying music playing on its own it doesn't carry the same flicker and longevity of their prior candelabra. There are some sections that sound like run-of-the-mill death metal, playing itself safe with bland, non-identity palm mutes and thicker chords and matching galloping double bass pedals. This seems different even from their prior primitive 80's influenced form of black-death metal like on the album 'Secret Sudaria.' The number one key focus to Drape's shadowy past was to instill a ritualistic mood through repetition or through primal, catchy designs. 'Buried in Time's sound quality captures all of the notes into the forefront and misses that little bit of edge. The song writing this time around doesn't seem to have that same surrealistic vibe from the last recordings. Like watching someone go for something extreme and you just find yourself managing to stand crossed-armed. Like there isn't a solidified direction that Mortuary Drape are traveling down, with their path running with notes and instruments, but overall doesn't carry anything tangible that can be bit into, or suddenly reach out and grab your arm with.

Wildness Perversion's vocals became slightly altered, most likely due to how they recorded them. They can range from growled to more throaty, sometimes traveling over to some Dani Filth-like higher pitched screams that sound about as misplaced as, well, frankly Cradle of Filth are. Though I have to say the conviction doesn't seem to be placed behind his overall projection however. Mainly because he represents the slot of front man and attempts to match the underlying music, yet neither one manages to save or overcome the other in the end.

This uses a fair amount of mid-paced parts, spread overtop with some decent solos that might spring up at some point in their spanning longer songs. The solos can be more technical, but still applied with some cool sounding effects. There are some parts that try to pick up the pieces to their faltering atmosphere, with some abstract keyboards or clean guitar sections. Though the interludes just feel imitated along with a lot of the rest of the album because one thing isn't gradually leading into the other; like you were transfixed with an on-going wide-eyed awareness, instead notes pass by you like some normal looking stranger. They seem more worried with trying to impress you with how much they can appear to be heavy, rather than painting every corner of your mood black; or even being able to strategically blend the two factions together. The sixth track sounds like it uses hand and tom drums, clean guitar, and deeper monotone chants in the background. Producing some kind of odd voodoo-like atmosphere placed right smack in the middle of all of these flavorless death metal sounding parts. Actually when they aren't just chugging it along, Drape might produce some decent parts, but grabbing ahold of them is like attempting to handle a steaming sauce pan or playing musical chairs, never knowing when you're going to get burned or miss out and lose the game in the end.

It's unfortunate to see a band that was consistent throughout the nineties to their full length album in 2000. But then adopt something that changes, not only changes, but overall doesn't carry the same aesthetics that made them what they were. Even with the minor tweaks, something that was carried over from album to album. I might be right on the money to say they were attempting to become more musically accessible here. That's exactly what it feels like, and almost contradicts themselves from their prior ideologies because they always seemed to have their own separating agenda going for them; even with their past material being out of print or hard to find might of accidentally made them more mysterious. On its own 'Buried in Time' feels like it was attempting to climb that same harrowing stair case, one that leads to a darker isolated attic. The one that supernatural stories come from, but usually every story comes with some form of truth. Even if you didn't believe in these exaggerated tales, you were wary 'just' in case. Though their stories here on 'Buried in Time' don't carry the same ambiguousness that might give you that same dangerous fascination. And in the end, there is a distant mood implemented instead, and is just like watching events unfold from afar: playing it safe and secure.

Buried in Time is an apt title for an album which had been promised to rabid Drape fans since April 2003 but which in fact barely snuck through before the gates closed on 2004. But given their erratic history, two albums in five years is not a bad output, especially considering that vocalist Wildness Perversion is the sole survivor from 2000's occult classic, Tolling 13 Knell.

The turnover in personnel has, unsurprisingly, led to significant stylistic change; most notably, the band is back down to a single bass-player and twin guitars, and the production is easily the heaviest and most professional the band has seen. The result is a much more thrash-oriented headbanger's delight, and while this may initially disappoint those captivated by the eerie, dungeon-esque atmosphere of past works, it's hard not to get caught up in the sublime energy of this riff orgy. Tracks like "Deep Void" and "Animism" display the band's talent for riff sequencing, with slower melodic sections melting perfectly into adrenalin-charged finales. Listening to Buried in Time while typing on the PC can be a perilous experience: my feet instinctively pummel the carpet, the monitor shakes violently and that full cup of coffee is looking precarious.

The band offers some respite from the one-hour deluge of shredding guitars with an almost jungle-like instrumental and some sombre intros and bridges towards the latter half of the album, which serve as a throwback to earlier Drape recordings. But don't fool yourself: while retaining a keen sense of melody, Buried in Time is a full-on blackened thrash assault that is likely to incite dangerous driving and piss the neighbours right off. Consider yourself warned.