I’m rarely compelled to live and breathe an album, to opt for total immersion. Sweven is that kind of album, demanding obeisance and awe. Morbus Chron have found a new voice that belies their age, that speaks in tongues of ancient, effortless, and flawless malevolence. On their sophomore LP, the band have blown past the crude and contagious death metal of their debut. They have, in fact, blown past all reckoning.

Steeped in primordial metal exaltation, Sweven is an album that will suffer from attempts at categorization. There are still shreds of death at hand, but much of the material is metal, pure, simple, and unadulterated. Amidst this sweet mother lode of sinister riffs, I hear the primal sensibilities of Judas Priest circa Sad Wings of Destiny. In cascading, somber tremolations, I hear the majestic mastery of Dissection. Bits of hoary Celtic Frost creep into the guitar tone. Somber melodies speak of Maiden made evil. Crescendos of thrashing thunder threaten to Ride the Lightning.

Sweven is rather fearlessly filled with clean guitars. Gorgeous classical inclinations undulate and sway in a fathomless abyss. Many passages recall the boundless, unfettered output of a young Opeth, before pretension and obfuscation set in.

The pacing on Sweven is marvelous and multifarious. Cadences both crushing and sedate are represented, driven throughout by magnificent drumming. Despite the album’s wide-ranging sonic sentiments, the vocals speak only in tones of harrowed emptiness. The lyrics tell tales of abstract astral journeys and dreams of otherworldly grandeur. It all makes perfect sense; you’ll see.

I don’t see any reason to attempt to escape from Sweven’s grasp. I suspect I’ll remain in its sway when the year ends. Revel in Morbus Chron’s masterful madness.

Atanamar Sunyata


Band info: www.facebook.com/morbuschron
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

Atanamar Sunyata is a software engineer by trade and a herder of cats by calling. He lives in Peekskill, NY, with his wife and three man cats. When the inspiration strikes, Atanamar spouts metal hyperbole for Scratch the Surface, Metal Bandcamp, and his own blog, sunyata – mindful of metal. You can also find him on Twitter @AtanamarSunyata and Facebook.

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Swedish quartet Morbus Chron seek only the ugliest, grittiest and most vicious side of death-metal on their first release "Sleepers In The Rift", totally embracing the nauseating, fetid tone of groups such as Autopsy, Furbowl and Grotesque. Yet don’t mistake the Swedes for another effortlessly listenable old-school Swedish death-metal discharge, unlike most of their peers, Entrails, Crucifyre and Necrovourous, Morbus Chron aren’t merely sacking ideas from the usual suspects, Entombed and Dismember. Instead, they choose to plug right into the same caustic, uncomplicated and filthy death-metal that Chris Reifert used to write for Autopsy. Fans will surely recognise many of the riffs in “"Sleepers in the Rift", as a few tracks like “Hymn to a Stiff” and “Red Hook Horror”, are unreservedly influenced by works like “Severed Survival” and “Mental Funeral”, carrying out an identical cavernous death metal rumble.

A crisp, yet fittingly raw production further strengthens Morbus Chron’s performance, delivering the primitive and devilish vibe necessary to give the songs an extra dose of credibility, yet sometimes it gets a bit messy and sloppy with the Swedes ending up sounding like an obscure second-rate South-American act. Whether that’s on purpose just to be as primitive and naive as possible or not, it sure doesn’t do Morbus Chron any favours.

Morbus Chron are definitely not for everyone, but if primitive extremity and nauseating morbidity is what you’re after, then this is one disc to look out for. (6.4/10)

Byrant Thomas

Read full issue here.

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