Incarnation of Morbidity

Short but sweet is a good way to describe this second demo from Sweden's Cemetary. Despite only having two songs and an intro, this tape is extremely memorable and always a pleasure to listen to. The riffs and melodies flow so smoothly, continually engulfing the listener in a state of dark relaxation. Although the music and lyrics are dark in nature, the overall vibe of this cassette is surprisingly uplifting rather than depressing.

Simple and atmospheric death metal with a hint of doom is the recipe here, and Cemetary definitely know what they're doing. The production is clear in that each individual instrument is easy to make out, but there's still that distant, demo-quality aura about the recording that makes it sound raw and genuine. Just don't expect a polished and trebly sound like on their debut LP because you might be a bit disappointed. Speaking of that, "Incarnation of Morbidity" is different from "An Evil Shade of Grey" in other ways. Neither of the songs from this tape were re-recorded for the album, and production matters aside, the vocals and guitars don't really sound anything alike. The vocalist uses a low, throaty growl that's nearly a complete opposite of the raspy style used on the album, while the guitars here are missing that high-pitched wailing effect that was implemented in the full-length as well. The drummer uses a series of simple, recurrent beats that are more akin to doom metal, with a generous amount of reverb on the kick drum that makes the low-end sound extremely heavy.

As mentioned above, both of the songs are very catchy and you'll undoubtedly still be humming certain melodies under your breath the day after. "The Funeral (Eternal Rest)" is an epic doom symphony filled with tasteful keyboard sections and a highly addictive chorus. "Beyond the Grave" is more upbeat and mid-tempo, but still retaining the depth and simplicity of the previous track. The brilliant guitar leads towards the middle of this song are just overflowing with melody and emotion. Occasionally, the music speeds up to a half-blast pace reminiscent of Tiamat's "Sumerian Cry" album. All in all, there really isn't a dull moment to be found in either composition.

The sole reason this tape isn't getting a higher rating is because of its disappointing length. With a couple more songs like these, "Incarnation of Morbidity" had the potential to leave an enormous impact on the Swedish scene. At least Cemetary stuck around a little while and provided us with some quality full-length albums in the future.