Black Mirror

Those in the know need no introduction to Italian occult metal titans Mortuary Drape, but for those not in the know, they’re cult legends within extreme metal and are often seen as a missing link between the first and second wave of black metal. Regardless, these guys are legends, and despite some considerable time gaps between albums in the span of two decades, the band have finally released their long awaited sixth studio album 'Black Mirror' through the extreme metal powerhouse that is Peaceville Records.

The main thing to expect from Mortuary Drape is a vintage style of black/death metal that’s very steeply rooted in classic 80’s metal akin to Mercyful Fate, and early death metal, but what makes Mortuary Drape unique is their distinct Italian musicality. Their music is of course very brutal and raw, but they have a sense of psychedelic melody and some subtle progressive leanings that evoke the music of the prog band and horror composers Goblin, and more importantly a very distinct funeral like atmosphere that’s the result of all those other elements, though Mortuary Drape don’t make frequent or extensive use of synths and keyboards beyond their 2000’s output.

All that to say that they have a sound that’s pretty much unique to them, and have gone on to inspire countless of bands that want to break away from the second wave Scandinavian black metal mold, and even after almost three decades and with frontman and founder Wildness Perversion being the only remaining original member with a long list of collaborators that have come and gone, is this new album more of the same quality Italian occult black metal, or has the band done something else?

The best thing about Mortuary Drape’s distinct sound and aesthetic is how you can easily identify it once you get into them and as such aside from hearing the improvement in production quality and the music becoming more dynamic, and for 'Black Mirror' while the band still do what they do best, funereal black/death metal, this is also their most straightforward and refined, and their most progressive record yet, in terms of production this album is crisp and impactful, the bass and drums in particular are a major highlight, as long time member S.C. gets to shine with his meaty and complex bass lines that add to the band’s proggy and psychedelic leanings, while drummer M.T. also adds to the musical complexity, and does a damn good job at adding a dynamic rhythm to the music and without over relying on blast beats, and considering he played with prog metal band Aleph, to say he is skilled and talented would be to grossly undersell how good he is on the album.

The guitar work of D.C. and S.R. is also a major highlight, while the bass and drums do the more muscular complexity on the music, the guitars don’t slouch at all, as D.C. and S.R. get to shine with their riffs and especially their soloing, anyone who enjoys good riffs must listen to this album because D.C. and S.R. Not only satisfied, they excelled, and this is without a doubt their best guitar work in the band since they joined in 2010. And last but not least, that leaves the band’s mastermind Wildness Perversion, the man of course has unmistakable vocals, his guttural growling is as good as it ever was, and remains consistent after so long, the biggest praise I can give him is not just how he has manage to keep his vocals as intense and feral as they are, but they successfully fit with the band’s new found refinement, and he even gets to branch with some demonic chanting sprinkled throughout the album.

To conclude the best aspect of the album as a whole and what’s the biggest display of the band’s development is their more doomy and psychedelic flourishes, which is particularly strong in the second half of the album, be they bridge sections with the aforementioned demonic chanting of Wildness Perversion as heard on ‘Rattle Breath’ and ‘Nocturnal Coven’ which is also the band at their most melodic and proggy, or the dark psychedelic intros of ‘Mistress of Sorcerer’ and ‘Fading Flowers Spell’, and best showcased in the haunting closing title track, the band truly display a knack to make dark, entrancing metal without sounding cheesy or disjointed.

Overall, Mortuary Drape continue to be an exemplary band in terms of both their legacy and their willingness to continue expanding and tinkering with their unique sound and style, which is commendable in it of itself considering that if Mortuary Drape wanted, they could stop recording music altogether since their standing is pretty much secured, but because they continue writing and recording, and taking their time doing so yields some excellent music worth listening.

Written for www.MetalBite.com.

“Italians Do It Better:” A phrase worn on Madonna’s shirt in the 1986 video “Papa Don’t Preach.” Italians Do It Better: Also the name of Johnny Jewel’s all-analog, Italo disco / Synthpop record label which, consequently, was named after Madonna’s T-shirt. Could Madonna have known, though, that out of the cold caverns of Piedmont emerged a true beacon of evil that very same year? Perhaps she has been listening to The Drape all along…

Italians do just kind of have it in their blood, don’t they? Let’s forget about the macro momentarily. Set aside your fantasies of sitting in a foggy underground cave sipping Braulio after skiing in Italy’s mountains. Forgo the delicious, garlic-stuffed food, the fine wine, the historic art, and the melodious sonnets of love and lust coming from the mouths of models of high fashion, beckoning you to partake in an unforgettable affair. There is just something Italian’s have, and the occult is no different. Hell, it’s ground zero for the occult! And it is through that lens, and that lens alone, that we will observe the legendary Mortuary Drape’s latest offering, Black Mirror, the second full-length effort from the latest lineup Mr. Wildness Perversion pieced together back in 2010.

The first wave of black metal is something that tends to be somewhat enigmatic the more one attempts to set confines upon the style, but if it was to be properly defined, I’d say that 1985 is a fairly solid pinpoint given that Bathory’s The Return…… and Celtic Frost’s To Mega Therion were released that year. The Italians were no strangers to heavy, occult oriented metal at that time, though. Death SS formed in 1977, and although the theatrical Italian legends never released anything near the importance of Mercyful Fate’s material, that proto-black element must have been strong in Italy’s underground circles. Paul Chain’s Violet Art of Improvisation was actually recorded in-part before Fate’s EP, even though it didn’t see a proper release until eight years later. Regardless, Mortuary Drape formed at a time when the building blocks had been freshly laid out, and as a result, the band’s original run of releases with its classic lineup proved to be as strong as anything from the Nordic or Czech scenes that worshipped the same specific time in extreme music.

In jest, it’s a fun activity to apply Sam Raimi’s Necronomicon lore to how in the shit humans started playing music that sounds like mid 80s’ black metal. Young Beherit, for example, gives off the impression that they tripped over it on a boy scout camping adventure and jokingly read aloud from it until those snuggly little blondies summoned far too much evil than they could handle. Goatlord, on the other hand, strikes me as the type of band that went on a treasure hunt for the book knowing full-well what it was capable of unleashing. The Czech bands like Root, especially considering Big Boss being into Satanism before Venom even formed as a band, could have actually written the godforsaken thing. The Italians, though? They didn’t need a book to tell them how to conjure evil. They’re far too impulsive and far too hot-blooded. No, no, the Italians were already a living embodiment of it. For their part, Mortuary Drape has always played like a certain type of darkness lives in their blood, and they do it with much proficiency and much aplomb.

Being the band’s only original member, Wildness Perversion’s persistence and dedication to the first wave sound has proven itself over the course of three completely full lineup turnovers. Equally as impressive as his riveting live vocal performances (I believe he’s the first metal vocalist to consistently sing from an altar) is the fact that he’s managed to steer The Drape’s ship consistently while not playing guitars or bass. He does, however, handle some of the drumming duties, and since gaining a cast with more noticeably stellar musical capabilities post-Buried in Time—a worthy release that is still the band’s weakest partially due to its lack of brevity—Mortuary Drape has managed to effectively emulate the intricate guitar solos of All the Witches Dance, while keeping things upbeat in the same manner as Witches’ descendant, Secret Sudaria. I’ve always thought of Mercyful Fate’s Shermann and Denner as the yin to Maiden’s Murray and Smith’s yang; the former being the Satanic, minor chord-obsessed version of the latter. It’s abundantly clear in the band’s songwriting that Mortuary Drape’s classic lineup always took after the Shermann / Denner model of constructing guitar melodies, but the intricacies and skill level present in those first two full-lengths were less obvious in all that followed. Until Spiritual Independence came along in 2014, that is. You can just look at that album cover and know Wildness was up to his old ways again. Admit it: You decided that album was going to be a depraved triumph just by looking at the artwork.

What Black Mirror gives us, aside from a Mortuary Drape that sounds like it’s still living in its heyday, is very minute hints of the progressive / power side of things. Not nearly enough to take away from the classic sound that is surely intended and well executed, but just enough to keep things sounding interesting enough to merit numerous listens. I’m assuming that Simone Cappato is mostly to thank here, since his other two bands from the past are Controsigillo, a progressive thrash project that hasn’t been very active lately, and Drakkar, a Gamma Ray-inspired power metal band. What’s most impressive isn’t merely Cappato’s ability to play like a bassist that can effortlessly execute Control Denied tracks, but rather the whole band’s ability to conceal them tightly enough within the darkness so that they don’t overtake any of the good ol’ satanic fun. Lead guitarist Simone Rendina is equally as competent. His solos are well-placed without dominating any track other than the album’s final one (which is the intent), and he and rhythm guitarist Dario Chiereghin’s fret-dancing partnership will hopefully be as long lasting as it is well oiled.

As a result of all the skillfulness and cohesion that W.P. has been able to further harness, what we’re getting in Mortuary Drape’s sixth full-length is a more honed-in version of the surprise that was Spiritual Independence. Through the lens of this new offering, listeners will enjoy revisiting its predecessor and re-discovering the more difficult-to-find musical attributes of the individual band members that are more audaciously put on display this go-round. Mind you, this is still The Drape we’re talking about. Sure the devil is in the details, but the whole thing is as devilish as we’ve all been hoping for.

Although it is customary to point out some standout tracks, I need to preface the typical bullshit with the promise that all Mortuary Drape fans are going to enjoy this album. Gone are the days of ‘90s-length interludes to make a band’s music seem mysterious and creepy, but if it’s the solos and creative riffs you love about All the Witches Dance, there are plenty to go around on Black Mirror, as the album’s first two tracks and final few tracks were written to ensure keeping the debut’s haunting and mysterious atmosphere was of utmost importance to the entire lineup. If you want the more bouncy style of black metal that veers much closer to death metal and thrash much like Secret Sudaria, look no further than songs such as “Ritual Unction” or “Into the Oblivion.” And if Tolling 13 Knell is your jam, you’re absolutely going to love Cappato’s bass playing on tracks like “Nocturnal Coven” and “Mistress of Sorcerer.” “Rattle Breath,” however, takes the cake for those most looking forward to entering W.P.’s funhouse of vocal horrors.


The bottom line here is that the underground metal scene is standing at the feet of former students—back in 1986, when Celtic Frost, Mercyful Fate, Quorthon, and other creators of the extreme were at the very forefront of the extreme music scene—and these former students have now become masters. I’d even be willing to bet that the Drape’s newer musicians’ greatest influences heading into the studio are probably the first few Mortuary Drape albums. Either that, or they’re just Italian; they know the drill because they grew up on all of this. Satan’s secrets run through their veins. His voice is made manifest in their cries and their shrieks. There’s an intuition they have that is ingrained in them—the knowledge to do their Dark Lord’s bidding—and its potency is palpable… its darkness is dastardly… its wickedness wanton. What am I saying? They don’t need volumes and tomes of history! Italians simply do it better!

Last year, we were graced with the amazing EP Wisdom - Vibration – Repent by the Italian black/death metal veterans Mortuary Drape, and now fast forward to present day, lo and behold, a new album is on the horizon. On the 28th of October, three days before Hallow’s Eve, their sixth full-length album Black Mirror was unleashed into this world by Peaceville Records, to once again remind us that “All the Witches Dance”. Have the witches danced once again until the eve of Samhain? Let’s find out…

As we start things off with the first track “Restless Death”, you hear the creeping death slowly coming towards you with the macabre piano intro and whispering vocals that will cause shivers down your spine, until the scythe strikes with thrashing guitar riffs, d-beat drums and ghoulish vocals. This is the grand moment where the notorious evil of Mortuary Drape’s music conquers all as the cold wind blows out the candles and everything goes dark. Something that has always been the strong suite in Mortuary Drape’s songwriting is their ability to convey such black magic atmosphere unlike any other black or death metal band out there, be it due to the necromantic nature of their heavy riffs, the eeriness of the open string chords, or the vocals by Wildness Perversion which still sound as wicked as ever before. Something that really struck a chord with me on their previous EP was the brilliant cover of “Nightmare be Thy Name” by Mercyful Fate, and even this time you can still hear the traces of Mercyful Fate influences throughout each track in all its occult heavy metal glory aside from the black metal as the central point.

Something that many people will notice about Mortuary Drape, even on Black Mirror, is that the band still remains very much musically distanced from the majority of black metal bands that incorporate the established second wave and even third wave style, which is in my opinion what always made their music great even to this day. Black Mirror certainly keeps that tradition going, even the general songwriting still manages to feel quite rich and complex despite its overall simplicity, rather than taking the “keep it simple and stupid” approach which would lead to the point where you might as well skip on the entire album because it’s so predictable or one-dimensional. If one could picture what the album feels like, it would be best described with the promo video for the sixth track “Rattle Breath” which contains footage from the 1992 silent horror movie Häxan, where the double-bass drumming and blackened riffing goes hand in hand with the themes of occultism, devilry and black magic practice. The great thing about this album aside from the death and darkness in the music is the stylistic consistency from one track to another, where no track feels unwelcome or like a drastic departure from the rest, thus keeping the general feeling of Black Mirror on the same level from beginning all the way to its end. The highlight of Black Mirror’s stylistic consistency is the fact that it doesn't feel lackluster at any given moment, as each song goes the ball does not drop and the individual strength of each song shines. Production-wise, the album sounds very heavy and well produced for a black metal release, where the instruments such as guitars and drums sound banging all the way through, but the louder bass guitar certainly does wonders to give the album an additional dose of aggression.

Mortuary Drape has never failed me with any of their releases, and they certainly did not fail me with their new album Black Mirror. This album was definitely worth checking out and it is an absolute blast with immense vibes of nocturnal and necromantic horror that has been creeping in their music for a long time. Mortuary Drape has left their mark in the Italian metal scene and the global black metal scene in general, and Black Mirror serves a great example that they are indeed worthy of their status.

Written for www.Metalbite.com

Italian black / death metal ghouls Mortuary Drape return with their long-awaited sixth album. My hopes are high…

Haunting piano begins our journey into the darkness with a chilling introduction. Eerie vocals and mesmerising guitar riffs pound into a diabolic assault with those extremely strong bass lines that Mortuary Drape have always utilised, harnessing all of the evil spirits that lurk within their soundscapes. Blistering lead work complements the rhythm guitars and battering drums with tight shreds, showing their musicianship as a band is stronger than ever while still feeling occult and vicious as ever. Dancing with the radiant elements of traditional metallic craftsmanship, that timeless feeling at the heart of their music burns bright while the dark flame remains hostile and mysterious. To hear a band quite as highly regarded by myself as Mortuary Drape still putting out mystical and enchanting music of this calibre is magnificent and the opening moments of this record are testimony to this being just as strong as their EP had teased at.

Scathing melodics and bestial artillery intertwine to give us a most majestic and yet visceral listen, continuing to seethe with resplendent oddities. With a production that allows the hard-hitting percussion and absolutely mind-blowing guitar work to enshroud those pounding and vibrant bass lines, there is no escaping the fact Mortuary Drape are sounding more massive than ever, especially with Wildness Perversion’s recognisably inhuman vocals piercing through like a dagger to an exposed chest cavity. The blending of rattling low end and warm mids is gorgeous to listen to, mummifying the mind with their charnel extreme metal delights. As well as the superb musicianship, the songwriting and feel of the record is just so perfectly crafted, casting a shadow over all with their bewildering essence. The heart of this thing is just as punishing and untamed yet blissfully melodious, continuing to unpredictably yet reliably gratify the maniacal urge for occult black metal played properly.

Of course with a band such as Mortuary Drape, a certain magical essence must be present in their music. It is here with abundant clarity, as every moment lurks in a terrifying blend of fantastical horror and sepulchral realism. Earthly and yet with a presence so distant, only this band could make sounds like this and they continue to marvellously. With more dynamics than one could conceive, going from thrashing rage to doomed despair, their sound fills the entire range of tempos, sonics and aesthetics while the consistency of playing real black metal to perfection is always there. Whether primitive or embracing their technical abilities and allowing them to flourish, everything feels sincere and genuinely impassioned with not a second of the running time wasted. A pounding opus of furiously enchanting musical prowess that deserves your undivided attention and adoration if you care for the darker side of extremity. But of course with the name Mortuary Drape on the cover; you already knew that didn’t you?

Combining the continuity of their signature sound with rejuvenated creativity and production advancements, this album is one hundred percent Mortuary Drape without rehashing a singular element, the past is alive and the future still has room for the real masters… A truly triumphant and epic work from one of black metal’s most important artists.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com