Another day, another reunion. For the unaware, German quintet Morgoth created a reasonable buzz back in the early 90s with the solid if unspectacular duo of Cursed and Odium. Then they went and spoiled it all by doing something stupid like releasing Feel Sorry for the Fanatic, a bizarre jaunt into experimental electronic territory which appalled fans and led to the band breaking up in 1998. However, like so many others they have returned from the grave and Ungod (all Century Media Records) is the fruit of their labours. Is it worth it?
On first impressions, the answer is a baffled “No!” as the naked Obituary rip-off of ‘House of Blood’ comes lumbering out of the speakers. New vocalist Karsten ‘Jagger’ Jäger sounds so much like John Tardy you’ll be wondering if there’s been a mistake at the pressing plant. Thankfully things improve on the catchy mid-paced ‘Voice of Slumber’ which makes good use of those morose yet subtle melodies that were just enough to give Morgoth their own identity back in the day. Further tracks such as the measured riffing and familiar satanic lyrics of ‘Snakestate’ and the more aggressive attack of ‘Descent into Hell’ are pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered; middle of the road, no-frills death metal that sounds exactly like it was recorded in Florida circa 1993.
Honestly, were you expecting anything different? It’s hardly surprising that Morgoth have retreated to their classic sound (comfort zone) after such a disastrous backfire all those years ago, and they certainly know how to pen a decent death metal tune. However, like Massacre’s comeback record last year which shamelessly traded on former glories, Morgoth seem to think that just turning up and acting like nothing’s changed will be enough. Unfortunately the world of extreme metal is a far more diverse, cut-throat entity than it was in their heyday and it’s difficult to see them standing out from the herd this time round.
6.5/10
JAMES CONWAY