Psalms of the Moribund

One of the very first brutal death albums I got into early on was “Psalms of the Moribund”. By brutal technical death metal legends Defeated Sanity. Just about 3 years after their debut record “Prelude to the Tragedy”. Before hearing this record I was somewhat familiar with bands like Devourment and Disgorge. But when I first heard this album it blew me away. Never before had I heard an album as brutal as this be technically proficient. All of that is the reason why “Psalms of the Moribund” is my favorite Defeated Sanity album ever.

This album is pure gnarly aggression and nothing else. The record is 9 tracks of some of the most heavy, brutal, technical, and well-written brutal death albums ever. While the debut was a much more straightforward and old-school approach. This album leans full-on into brutal death metal and slam riffs. The album is much faster yet even more technically sophisticated than before. While this isn’t the most progressive and technically challenging the band would be. This is definitely their most brutal death/slammy album to date.

Let’s talk about the incredible guitar work. There is a lot going on in these songs. Tons of gnarly slams, frantic crawling riffs, and technical rhythms. Alongside the more complex sections, you get these gnarly slow chuggy breakdowns. And your more straightforward riffs that are played at a ridiculously fast tempo. A lot of this record is written to be played at a hella fast tempo. But this album does a good job of throwing in some mid-paced grooves and slower chugs. So it isn’t just mindless blasts and messy chaotic riffing.

The creativity of this album is insane. There isn’t really much lead or solo work to talk about. When it does pop up it’s quick and brutal. This album is more just about mushing your brains to bits with extreme intensity and technicality. To go with the crushing yet complex guitar work the drums complement this very well. The drums are the faster aspect of this album. Each song is filled with mind-numbing blast beats and double bass. You even get gravity blasts now on here. Of course you get the nice cymbal work and technical drum beats. The more complex and intricate drum parts work well with the more jazzy bass licks and the crawling riffs. The drums are a great balance of barbaric brutality and complex technicality.

The vocals have taken a much lower shift here. Instead of a more old school death metal vocal approach like the debut had. Jens Staschel delivers an absolutely disgusting gurgling performance. Filled witu unintelligible gurgles, nasty raspy growls, and predator vocal techniques. There isn’t any enunciation to be examined here. It’s just pure gurgling brutality. The squeals are also at a perfect pitch and aren’t too high.

The album maintains a level of intensity and balances technique and simplicity. Many of these riffs are simplistic yet frantic. Bass solos are also used a lot across the board. I love how you can hear each individual riff and note being played when they’re isolated from the rest of the instruments. Especially during some of the absolutely slow and pummeling breakdowns. That’s when each slow palm muted chug and riff really bulldoze you over. They’re sharp, precise, and extremely well crafted.

Finally we got the production. The production is perfect and filthy. The guitars have the meanest crunch and edge to them, giving the down-tuned tone power and dynamics. The bass is mixed nicely and is heard across the record. And the drums have that low muddy yet well balanced punch to them. And those vocals are low and filthy. Nothing is drowned out yet maintain such a gore soaked level of energy.

In conclusion this album is a masterpiece. Not one song in my eyes is weak or pales in comparison to other songs on the album. This is a groundbreaking technical brutal death metal record. If you want something that’s obnoxiously heavy yet has some brains to it. Check this record out immediately. It’s a perfect mix of slams and progressive death metal. And that’s why it’s my favorite album by these guys. And why it’s one of my favorite brutal death albums in general.

FFO: Disgorge, Gorgasm, Devourment, Cerebral Effusion, Wormed, Malignancy, Inherit Disease, Cryptopsy