Crucified Mortals

With the influx of thousands of -core bands several years ago, there has been almost a counter movement of thrash bands trying to reclaim what is really metal. Some results are mixed, but Crucified Mortals' self-titled release is definitely on the side that shows that thrash is still far from dying.

As far as standard thrash goes, Crucified Mortal is, well, pretty standard. Great fast riffs, two-step drumming, shouting vocals that wander into nearly a growl occasionally. Fortunately the band has some high energy and some great riffs, evoking Slayer, though without any of that whammy worship. Unfortunately, the album occasionally suffers from Slayer syndrome where songs begin to blend with each other. This is often the case with songs that open with a sweet riff like "Perpetrator" and immediately go into thrash mode. The band even gets plenty of slow South of Heaven worship in "Perpetrator" before blasting out into a metal craze.

The production is clear, not fuzzy whatsoever, and all the instruments are audible. What's really great is the bass. The bass is so solid and it is clear (even on speakers with low bass output) that it makes me want to punch someone. This is how a thrash metal record should be produced as it is very conducive to headbanging and the like.

Overall, you aren't going to find anything grand or innovative in Crucified Mortal's self-titled debut, and you really don't have to. It's a great thrashfest that your average metalhead should be able to get his mosh on when listening to it. Recommended for thrash fans and metalheads in general.


originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/crucified-mortals--crucified-mortals.aspx

I remember hearing these gentlemen back when they put out their Converted by Decapitation EP in 2004. At the time, I was playing a straight up old school thrash/death metal band and we had been hunting down similar artists. The drummer encountered Crucified Mortals, a band featuring some current and former Nunslaughter folks. What I heard then wasn't so bad, and having now listened through their debut, s/t full-length, I come off with the same general impression: well-written, energetic thrash in the vein of Razor, Sodom, Slayer and Kreator, with vocals that remind me of a mix between Tom Araya and King Fowley. This is definitely a pretty authentic record, minus all the fashion-thrashin' bullshit, with a serious take on the style that does not belay the intelligence.

It also opens with a bang, through the horror-like intro sequence "The Seance", creepy melodies winding down into the explosive burst of "Sordid Treachery". Piledriver guitar rhythms that make me reminisce for Dave Carlo's playing on Razor's Violent Restitution, thicker in tone if a little less potent and memorable. However, they're amazingly consistent, so you can count on breaking your neck for about 37 minutes of generally faster paced assault like "Resurrected Fiend", "Ghastly Affliction", "Desecrating the Dead" and "Figure in Black". They rarely fall off course, and even when they do you get the ominous bass intro of "Perpetrator" or the more glorious tank treading that inaugurates the closer "Doom". Expect a lot of tight, sinister patterns being thrust at you many miles per hour, and some descending, evil riffs similar to Slayer in their 80s prime.

I will admit that I don't particularly love the vocals of Reaper Horval, but I doubt they'll dissuade anyone who fancies the meatier thrash frontmen of Rigor Mortis, Deceased, Gammacide or Demolition Hammer, and they certainly fit over the ensuing mayhem. Few of the songs here really stand out in the long run, but they're definitely entertaining while they last, and credit should be given that Crucified Mortals entirely avoids the self-referential pageantry that has plagued new thrash acts throughout the 21st century. These men obviously care about the real deal, listen to all the right influences, and their output is indisputably sincere. In fact, I'd say I enjoy this more than a number of Nunslaughter releases, and certainly more than a lot of the less interesting US thrash retroverts like Warbringer or Lich King, but it doesn't hit all the right notes for cult status.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com