Aug 162012
 

Mordbrand is a three-man death metal juggernaut from Sweden whose work has appeared frequently at NO CLEAN SINGING and drawn considerable attention elsewhere, too. Consisting of vocalist Per Boder (ex-God Macabre), guitarist/bassist/backing vocalist Björn Larsson, and drummer Johan Rudberg, Mordbrand have chosen (so far) to release their music in small portions. There was a 2010 split with Evoke, an attention-grabbing EP in 2011 entitled Necropsychotic (reviewed here), and a split with Bombs of Hades released earlier this year under the title No Life (featured here).

Since the release of the No Life split, Mordbrand have recorded two more songs destined for release by Deathgasm Records as a 7″ vinyl bearing the name Kolumbarium. The two songs are “Consume Them” and “Let Them Slumber”. The second one features guest vocals by Nox from the excellent Swedish band Craft.

Originally expected this summer, manufacturing delays have pushed off Kolumbarium’s availability — the latest word is that it will be released by late September or early October. However, because we are awesome, we have been allowed to hear the two songs in advance. Because you are awesome, you will also get to hear one of them before you finish reading this post. Yes, in a moment of weakness, Mordbrand agreed to allow NCS to provide the world premiere of “Consume Them”. And man, does it rip hell.

We’re in the midst of a an explosion of old-school death metal, a revival of an art that has never died but is now experiencing a significant resurgence. Few bands are doing it better than Mordbrand, and “Consume Them” is a testament to their talent.

The song captures in classic form both the vicious rampaging of chainsaw guitars and the gruesome lurch of the undead climbing from their graves. The distorted riffs alternately slice and boil and groan like the dragging of massive chains, but in addition to a lot of authentic cemetery gloom, the song is a hook-filled romp with an infectious melody and a withering guitar solo. And few frontmen in the business can match Per Boder at this style of horrorshow vocalization.

Good songwriting and authentic performance still win. Check it out:

“Consume Them”
[audio:https://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Mordbrand_-_Consume_Them_master_20120517.mp3|titles=Mordbrand_-_Consume_Them_master_20120517]

We’ve heard the second song from Kolumbarium, too. “Let Them Slumber” has got the hi-distortion death ‘n’ roll going along with d-beat crustiness, and the song also includes some masterful, ringing guitar leads and another thoroughly diseased solo. Brutal and heavy, “Let Them Slumber” is also a sledge-wielding headbanger.

This may only be a two-song “single”, but it’s a real standout among the death metal releases of 2012, and in my humble opinion the best music Mordbrand have made yet.

We’ll have more news down the road about the release of Kolumbarium, but you can also follow Mordbrand on Facebook here. I also strongly recommend that you check out Mordbrand’s Bandcamp page (HERE), where all the tracks from their previous releases are now available for streaming and digital download.

 

 

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