Swordmaster “Moribund Transgoria”
Osmose , 1999
Lord Pale :
Fast melodic groovy blackened death metal . The vocals are the usual snat but are much more intelligible than their blackmetal counterparts , and often break into some clean vocal passages and even deathy grunts . Occasional influences can be heard ranging from Death to Dissection to In Flames , but Swordmaster has its own unique sound . Snappy drums , tuneful melodies , and bucket loads of aggression are mixed well to create and exception album of the genre . The lyrics range from metal praise not to dissimilar from Manowar , to self praise , to your usual undiscernible dark lyrics . The booklet and packaging are glossy and it is apparent that this is a high quality release , not just from a musical perspective . The guitar melodies range from evil atmospheric “Moribund Transgoria” to somehow uplifting “Sulphur Skelethrones” offering plenty of variation . This is the only Swordmaster disc I have heard so I can’t compare it to their earlier stuff , but I have read that that was more death metal in style and I am glad that they have chose to progress in a more unique melodic direction . There are still some death metal sounding songs on this disc ( the title track for example ) but on the whole it’s fast and groove ridden metal . A great disc .
Favourite Tracks – Deathspawn Of The Eibound ; Sulphur Skelethrones ; The Grotesque Xtravaganza
Mark – 8/10 |
