Mr. Death, Death Suits You
Hot on the trails of their 2009 debut, Detached from Life, Mr. Death are back with a vengeance. Churning with old school Swedish death metal, Death Suits You delivers six tracks chock full of buzzsaw guitars, crushing rhythms and a thick, powerful production.
This 20 minute blast of destruction picks up right where the band left off with that stellar debut album, but brings even more ferocity and power to their already authentic old school vibe. Throwing the hammer down right from the start, Mr. Death chainsaw their way through vital organs with buzzing riffs, pummeling drum work and a vicious, growling vocal delivery as the band shifts seamlessly between mid-paced chugging rhythms and hellish blasts. Man, if this were a full-length release, I’d be hard pressed not to give it a perfect five out of five. There’s just nothing to not like about Death Suits You.
March To The Dark
“March To The Dark” starts off the EP with thick, building riffs and drums over the opening 25 seconds or so before the guys settle into a churning mass of riffs as the vocals come in. The production for this EP is just about perfect — thick, powerful and organic. The layered vocals add a great addition to the band’s overall sound. I’m not sure who’s belting out those higher-end shrieks, but they are raw and nasty. I could listen to this song all day long. It’s catchy, head banging mayhem at its best with tempo shifts at just the right places.
On Day 51
Oh, hell yes! The monstrous, burly riffs that dominate this three minute track are freakin’ awesome. Layer them over the pummeling drums, add deep guttural growls and you’ve got yourself a sick ass song. I love the slight melodies that have been added to the guitars on this song — it’s just enough to allow the song to breathe through its thick production. The track builds to a crescendo with massive drums and driving riffs right before it quickly fades to silence as the track ends. Awesome!
Curse of The Masses
Mr. Death mean business on this next track. Right from the start they’ve got the old school death metal pedal floored as the song opens up with pile-driving drums, buzzing riffs and a manic pace that doesn’t let up until about halfway through the song, and that’s only to let you catch your breath with thick bass and riffs before the guys dive head first into a whirling wood chipper of death. This is one of those tracks that you just have to admire — everyone seems to be on top of their game, coming together perfectly.
The Plague and The World It Made
The up tempo gallop that drives this song is catchy as hell. The riffing throughout this track will leave you ears ringing for a good couple of hours after it’s long done. With a more varied shift in tempo across the song, “The Plague and The World It Made” is probably the most structured track on the EP. It’s got a well thought out path and the band delivers on the goods — case in point, the thick riffs around the 2:20 mark.
Strandead
The head banging groove that gets this next track rolling will have plenty of necks sore when it’s all said and done. This one is thick, driving and full of force. The guys jump from mid-tempo dirges full of buzzing guitars to manic blasts of frenetic and energetic drums. There’s a bit of an Entombed vibe to the slower portions of this track that work well with the band’s overall vibe without resulting in mimicry. The lead that ends out the song is all over the place and sick as hell.
Celestial Suffering
What better way to end an EP loaded with old school death metal than with more old school death metal! The closing track on this album keeps the blood flowing and only causes you to hit play over and over when it’s finally done. “Celestial Suffering” is a dense, layered track that is a culmination of all the the guys have impressively packed in this short EP, as it swells to it’s inevitable and thrashing end. Freakin’ awesome EP.
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Additional Notes:
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