UMUR "Die for Us" is the fifth full-length studio album by Australian death metal/deathgrind act Werewolves. The album was independently released in July 2024. It´s the successor to "My Enemies Look and Sound like Me" from August 2023. The lineup hasn´t changed since Werewolves formed in 2019, so it´s still David Haley on drums, Matt Wilcock on guitars and vocals, and Sam Bean performing vocals and bass. Related to artists like Akercocke, Abramelin, Faustian, The Berzerker, and Psycroptic these guys are quite prolific both on the Australian and the international death metal scene.

Stylistically "Die for Us" more or less continues down the same death metal/deathgrind road that Werewolves have travelled since day one. Artists like Terrorizer and Coldworker are pretty valid references. It´s fast, brutal, and aggressive deathgrind with heavier death metal moments thrown in here and there. The vocals vary between death metal growling and sligtly more aggressive snarling/growling. To my ears, the otherwise very well sounding production job, is a bit too clear for this type of music, and I wouldn´t have minded a bit more grit and filth. It would probably have made the music even more effectful.

But if you´re here to get your faced kicked in Werewolves are a safe bet. "Die for Us" is a relentlessly brutal death metal/deathgrind release featuring a caustic level of aggression. The band are well playing too and upon conclusion "Die for Us" is another good quality death metal/deathgrind release from Werewolves. They don´t invent the wheel or produce anything particularly unique, but there´s plenty of quality here to warrant a 3.5 star (70%) rating.

UMUR "Within the Visceria" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish death metal act Neckbreakker (previously known under the Nakkeknaekker monicker). The album was released through Nuclear Blast in December 2024. A very young band (drummer Anton Bregendorf is for example only 18 years old) from the city of Silkeborg, Neckbreakker was formed in 2020 as Nakkeknaekker and they released a couple of demos before changing their name to Neckbreakker in 2024. An English language version of their original Danish language monicker.

Stylistically they play a heavy and groove laden type of death metal. Rooted in the early 90s old school death metal scene, but there is a bit more to Neckbreakker than that, as they include more contemporary influences too. The heavy sometimes hardcore oriented groove of some parts and the aggressive shouting vocals of Christoffer Kofoed aren´t old school death metal features, but Neckbreakker manage to incorporate those elements pretty well with their more old school death metal features.

The band are well playing, but it´s immediately clear that it´s Bregendorf who is the standout musician in Neckbreakker. Busy, organic, and powerful drumming, which drives the music forward with loads of aggression, heavy swagger, and creativity. You don´t hear that often in this genre of music, and although Neckbreakker doesn´t sound much like Entombed it´s definitely Nicke Andersson´s organic playing style and inventive playing on the early Entombed releases I´m reminded of. It´s not that they have similar playing styles, but it´s the organic groove and constant attention to what is best for the music which they share. Contemporary and very successful fellow contrymen in Baest are bound to be mentioned here too, but Neckbreakker are generally a more diverse and hardcore/groove oriented death metal act than the more traditional old school death metal of Baest.

"Within the Visceria" features a powerful, raw, and overall effective sound production, which suits the material well and upon conclusion it´s a good quality debut release from Neckbreakker, who definitely have the potential to go places with their music. The songwriting is at times a bit too safe and Neckbreakker don´t offer the listener anything they haven´t heard before. It´s not a major issue as especially the musical performances are as strong as they are and the album is as well produced as it is, but a few more catchy and memorable moments wouldn´t have hurt and could have made my overall impression of the album a little more positive. It´s ultimately still a good quality release though and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "A World Drowning in Detest" is the third full-length studio album by Danish death metal act Detest. The album was released through Emanzipation Productions in December 2024. It´s the successor to "We Will Get What We Deserve" from 2021, which was Detest´s comeback album after not having released a full-length studio album since "Dorval" from 1994, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the "A Moment of Love" EP from 2019.

So with a more steady release rate it would seem that Detest are back with a vengeance. Listening to "A World Drowning in Detest", the vengeance part isn´t entirely true though, but more about that later. Stylistically Detest play a predominantly old school oriented death metal style which is based on heavy riffs and grooves and which is mostly played at mid-pace, although the band speed things up on occasion. My impression is however overall that "A World Drowning in Detest" is a faster-paced album than "We Will Get What We Deserve". The vocals are one-dimensional growling and performed without much feeling or aggression. They are just there and lead vocalist/bassist Simon Springborg gets the job done but not much more than that.

The musicianship is overall pretty strong, but I have to mention that some of the lead guitar parts sound a little shaky/out of tune. The worst example of that is on instrumental album opener "It's Over", but the leads are generally not the greatest throughout the album. "A World Drowning in Detest" features a professional and well sounding production job, so it´s the relatively mediocre songwriting and the sometimes shaky musicianship which aren´t fully up to par with some of the contemporary Danish death metal artists which Detest are in competition with like Baest and Neckbreakker. As legends of the Danish death metal scene Detest are supposed to show the new young artists that they are leaders, but on "A World Drowning in Detest" they sound like faceless followers to me. Despite the criticism there are however still quality here and a 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Pathei Mathos" is an EP release by Norwegian experimental music act Manes. The EP was released through Aftermath Music in June 2024. Although it´s been quite a few years since the last major release from Manes, they have kept themselves busy releasing a couple of conpilations as well as a couple of singles since the release of "Slow Motion Death Sequence" (Manes fifth full-length studio album, released in August 2018). They have also released the black metal "Innerst i mørket" full-length studio album under the Manii monicker in September 2023.

The EP features four tracks and a total playing time of 23:40, and as something new most of the vocals are female clean vocals performed by M. Hellem (Martyra). Manes still use ambient electronic elements to create atmosphere, but the music features rock/metal instrumentation too and actually reminds me of late 90s/early 90s The Gathering. The Swedes in Paatos is another valid reference (and artists like Atrox and Madder Mortem), and on this particular release the Ulver clone accusations, which Manes are often subjected to, aren´t true at all.

"Pathei Mathos" features a nice raw sound production and the addition of a female lead vocalist has not meant that the music has become more polished or mainstream oriented. It´s still dark and somewhat heavy rock/metal music with ambient electronic elements and a melancholic atmosphere (the music also features gothic rock/metal leanings). Fans of especially The Gathering should find a lot to enjoy on this release. To my ears Manes aren´t as unique sounding on "Pathei Mathos" as they previously have been, but there´s nothing wrong with the quality of the music. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Cometh the Storm" is the ninth full-length studio album by US, heavy/sludge/stoner metal act High on Fire. The album was released through MNRK Heavy in April 2024. It´s the successor to "Electric Messiah" from October 2018 and there´s been one lineup change since the last album as drummer Des Kensel has been replaced by Coady Willis. The latter is known for his work with artists like Big Business and The Melvins. Kurt Ballou is credited as producer. A role he has also played on the last couple of albums by High on Fire. Actually every High on Fire album from "De Vermis Mysteriis" (2012) until this one have been produced by Ballou.

Personally I haven´t always felt that Ballou´s production style fit High on Fire´s music, but on "Cometh the Storm" he has aimed for a more organic, heavy, and meaty tone, which suits the band´s ultra heavy stoner/sludge metal riffs, heavy organic grooves, and occasional bursts of heavy/thrash metal aggression really well. To my ears the sound production on "Cometh the Storm" is the most well sounding production on a High on Fire album since "Snakes for the Divine" from 2010. This album has the right bite and venom dripping from it.

High on Fire are as well playing as ever and the addition of Willis to the ranks is not a bad decision. If you´re familar with his work with both Big Business and The Melvins you won´t be surprised by his high quality output and creative drumming ideas. He adds a lot to the sound of this album. Frontman/guitarist Matt Pike sounds as raw as ever (and has over the years also built upon his arsenal of vocal styles) and bassist Jeff Matz, who completes the trio lineup, is a solid heavy anchor. High on Fire´s relatively unique combination of stoner metal, sludge metal, heavy metal, and thrash metal riffs and rhythms hasn´t changed drastically over the years, and the material on "Cometh the Storm" follows in a similar style to the many preceding releases.

So it´s the songwriting and the production values which set one High on Fire album apart from the other albums by the band, and to my ears "Cometh the Storm" is in the better end of the High on Fire album releases, both when it comes to the memorability of the compositions and certainly when it comes to the sound production (as mentioned above). A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

martindavey87 Released in 1995, ‘Dead Winter Dead’ saw a big shift in sound and style for Savatage, as well as a number of line-up changes that gave us what is arguably one of their strongest and most creative rosters, and would lead to the band forming (or joining) the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a project that would very much parallel Savatage, but on a much, much bigger and commercially successful scale.

While Savatage had always dabbled in classical, theatrical and progressive elements within their music, 1994’s ‘Handful of Rain’ had a sound more grounded in standard hard rock. However, with ‘Dead…’, the band once more tread into rock opera territory, with a big emphasis on orchestrations and “epic” compositions, and this is none-more evident than on huge crossover hit single ‘Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)’, a massive Christmas orchestral rock anthem, which also featured on ‘Christmas Eve and Other Stories’ by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Unfortunately, I do find some of the songs are pretty hit-or-miss, with a number of rather forgettable fillers popping up, but there are also a number of ‘Tage classics, such as ‘One Child’, ‘I Am’, ‘Doesn’t Matter Anyway’, ‘Mozart and Madness’, the aforementioned ‘Christmas Eve’, and the title track itself. But most importantly with this album, is that this version of Savatage, with six full-time members, would develop the style they’ve adapted here with their next two releases, which would, in my opinion, be their absolute masterpieces.

UMUR "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" is the second full-length studio album by US, Seattle based crossover thrash metal act The Accüsed. The album was released through Combat Records in 1987. The Accüsed was formed in 1980 and released a couple of demos before releasing the "Martha Splatterhead" EP in 1985. The debut album "The Return of... Martha Splatterhead" followed in 1986. "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" is a self-produced effort, recorded during Valentines day 1987 at Michael Lord Productions.

A one day recording session is fully in keeping with The Accüsed´s DIY hardcore roots, and the material is as raw, gritty, and unpolished as expected. While still heavily rooted in hardcore punk, The Accüsed have become more metallic on "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!", and the label crossover thrash metal applies here, better than it did on the preceding releases. Most tracks are short and raw, fast-paced bursts of filth and aggression, but The Accüsed do incorporate heavy mid-paced sections too. An example of that is one of the album highlights in "Rape (Not a Love Song)".

While the production values are slightly better than on the extremely raw garage sounding debut album, it´s only details which separate the two and "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" is definitely also in the more raw end of the production spectrum. This is a warts and all type of release and although the band can play their instruments, and it all sounds very organic and loose, it also sounds a bit detuned and sloppy.

So "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" functions because it´s a charmingly raw and authentic release, delivered by an honest and passionate band. The Accüsed get much out of little and while I wouldn´t exactly call "More Fun than an Open Casket Funeral!" a masterpiece, there are enough interesting elements here to warrant a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating.

UMUR "The Sense Apparatus" is the debut full-length studio album by Norwegian progressive metal act Frantic Bleep. The album was released through Elitist Records in February 2005. Frantic Bleep formed in 2001 and released the "Fluctadmission" demo in 2002. The project is closely related to (and shares members with) disbanded progressive groove metal act Chopworm and later doom/progressive/gothic metal act Madder Mortem.

"The Sense Apparatus" is built as one 41:27 long song, although it features nine sub track. They all flow together though, creating the feeling that you´re listening to one long epic progressive metal song. Frantic Bleep combine elements of many types of progressive rock and metal styles, and the music is geneally very dynamic ranging from mellow and melancholic parts with clean singing, to louder and much heavier parts featuring screaming extreme metal vocals. The latter isn´t the dominant style of the album though, but used more for making an aggressive point within the context of a song. "The Sense Apparatus" is technically well performed, but it´s an album which is first and foremost focused on melancholic atmospheres.

The album is well produced, featuring a powerful, clear, and detailed sounding production, which suits the material well. For all the positives there is to say about "The Sense Apparatus", it has to be mentioned though, that while it´s entertaining and emotionally impactful while playing, it´s not an album you are able to remember much from when it stops playing. The songwriting is professional, varied, and intriguing, but upon conclusion it doesn´t feature many lasting memorable moments. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

martindavey87 With their previous two albums steering further and further into symphonic territory, 2005’s ‘The Black Halo’ sees Kamelot finally hit a home-run, with a concept album that shows a band who have mastered the more orchestral elements of their music, therefore completing an excellent trilogy of albums that display the perfect balance of power, progressive and symphonic metal.

Kamelot had been dabbling with symphonic and operatic influences since 1998’s ‘Siege Perilous’, and the incredible impact this would have on their song-writing would see such elements rise in prominence with each subsequent release. Giving their music rich, lavish and vibrant textures, yet staying true to their metal background, we’re taken on an epic and grandiose adventure as ‘The Black Halo’ concludes the bands interpretation of the story of Faust, a story which began on their previous album, 2003’s ‘Epica’.

While the members of Kamelot have never really been known for virtuoso instrumental performances, their musical ability here is undeniable. Everyone absolutely nails their roles, given moments to shine, yet knowing when to hold back and allow the strength of the writing to carry the song. The chemistry between them is palpable, with particular praise to guitarist Thomas Youngblood and keyboardist Michael Rodenberg. And vocalist Roy Khan is an absolute beast, no matter what he does.

The production on this album is incredible, Everything sounds so clear, perfectly balanced in the mix, from heaviness with a punch, to the orchestral warmth and ambience, and with highlights including ‘The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)’, ‘March of Mephisto’, ‘Moonlight’, ‘When the Lights Go Down’, the eerily beautiful ‘Abandoned’ and the title track itself, ‘The Black Halo’ is an absolute masterpiece, and an unforgettable musical experience.

UMUR "Eschatology Of War" is the debut full-length studio album by Ukrainian, Lviv based black/doom/death metal act 1914. The album was released through Archaic Sound in December 2015. 1914 formed in 2014, which is rather symbolic as that year marks the 100-year anniversary since the start of World War I, which serves as the band´s primary lyrical focus, and also their band name. Singing about war is nothing new and artists like Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets (and quite a few others) have made whole careers out of it, but off the top of my head I can´t name another artist solely basing their lyrics on World War I (WWI) (I just remembered Kanonenfieber though, so some do exist). The band image, their band photos, and even their performer names reflect the WWI theme. So these guys mean business and their extreme dedication to the project is arguably fascinating.

The lyrics are well written and it´s obvious that the topics are well researched. The band take us through various periods and episodes of WWI, telling stories of mustard gas attacks, the horror, disease, and dread of the trenches, Zeppelin air attacks, machine gun fire, and some historical facts thrown in, which provide the whole thing with the right amount of authenticity and gloom. Needless to say that the lyrics provide the album with a dark and unpleasant atmosphere. Another atmosphere enhancer are the sampled intro and outro tracks "War In" and "War Out", which feature WWI contemporary recording artists Billy Murray and the American Quartet and Charles Harrison respectively performing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" and "The Last Long Mile". Both tracks are considered compositions related to WWI. The former was often used as a marching song for soldiers during the war.

Stylistically the material on the album is a combination of black metal, doom metal, and death metal. It´s hard to say which of the styles is the dominant one, so my best description of the music would be an equal share of all three. The riffs are sinister, brutal, and heavy, but sometimes faster and more black metal tremolo styled. The pace is predominantly slow and doomy though, but there are also heavy mid-paced death metal styled riffs and rhythms featured on the album (those sections aren´t completely unlike some of Bolt Thrower´s output). The vocals are snarling blackened growling. They are very well performed, intelligible, and passionate, and generally a great asset to the album.

"Eschatology Of War" features a powerful, brutal, and detailed sounding production job, suiting the material perfectly. I personally wouldn´t have minded if the production had been a little more filthy and raw, but the production values are arguably both well sounding and professional. Upon conclusion "Eschatology Of War" is a high quality debut album by 1914. Hitting the right balance between the doom, death, and black metal influences could have proven difficult, but 1914 seamlessly combine the influences and create a sound of their own. The many vintage war themed samples and music snippets combined with the cruel lyrical subjects and the dark and heavy music make "Eschatology Of War" a great listen. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Spawned by the Horrors of Thermonuclear Warfare" is a compilation album by US, Seattle, Washington based death/thrash metal act Oxygen Destroyer. The compilation was released through Sewer Rot Records in July 2022. It bridges the gap between Oxygen Destroyer´s second- and third full-length studio albums "Sinister Monstrosities Spawned by the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind" (2021) and "Guardian of the Universe" (2024).

The compilation features eight tracks and a total playing time of 22:50 minutes. The material is culled from various demos and split releases from the period 2015-2019. It´s not a compilation featuring all rarity/minor release tracks from Oxygen Destroyer, which is actually a bit weird since the playing time is so short. They could easilay have put the missing tracks from the period on the tracklist and still kept the album length under 30 minutes. The tracks which are missing are "Atomic Breath" from the 2015 debut demo and the 2017 one-track single song "Vanquished by the Unrelenting Devastation of the Celestial Behemoth". Other than those two tracks you get everything on this compilation recorded and released by Oxygen Destroyer in the 2015-2019 period except the material from their 2018 debut full-length studio album "Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death". "Vanquished by the Unrelenting Devastation of the Celestial Behemoth" however appears on the debut album and "Atomic Breath" also appears in a re-recorded version, along with re-recorded versions of some of the tracks featured on this compilation.

Stylistically Oxygen Destroyer play a relentlessly aggressive death/thrash metal style with a rabid dog snarling vocalist in front. It´s a music style which was at its peak in the late 80s/early 90s with artists like Merciless, Demolition Hammer, and early Vader leading the pack. Since then there have from time to time appeared a new act playing the style, but Oxygen Destroyer are among the more prolific contemporary artists dedicated to playing death/thrash metal and they sound almost one to one like a band from the late 80s/early 90s period, both when it comes to compositional style, the performances, and the sound production choices.

The quality of the material featured on this compilation differs slightly. Not so much when it comes to the songwriting and the performances of the material, but when it comes to the production quality of the various tracks. It´s however predominantly "Relentless Desire for Nuclear Radiation" from the December 2015 demo, which stands out because of the crude, chaotic, and raw sounding demo production. The two other tracks from the same demo which are also included here, do no appear in the demo versions of the tracks, but instead in the re-recordings which were originally featured on the September 2016 "Saurian Warfare" split with Carnotaurus.

Upon conclusion "Spawned by the Horrors of Thermonuclear Warfare" is a good quality compilation of minor release tracks from the early period of Oxygen Destroyer´s discography, and although a few tracks are missing, you still get some great and raw early versions of tracks which would later appear in re-recorded form on "Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death" and a few rarities too which the band never re-recorded. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "The Dead Are Screaming" is the debut full-length studio album by Australian death metal act Werewolves. The album was released through Prosthetic Records in April 2020. Werewolves formed in 2019 and features among others Psycroptic drummer David Haley in the ranks. Guitarist Matt Wilcock and lead vocalist/bassist Sam Bean are both associated with acts like Abramelin, The Antichrist Imperium, and The Berzerker. So Werewolves is pretty much an Australian underground extreme metal supergroup.

Stylistically this is brutal and vicious sounding deathgrind featuring both deep growling vocals and occasionally raw snarling vocals. Not surprisingly the music is predominantly very fast-paced, but Werewolves also play mid-paced heavy parts. While this is not a one to one direct comparison, I´d say references to an artist like Terrorizer are valid. "The Dead Are Screaming" aren´t the most unique sounding deathgrind release on the scene, although it´s certainly well composed, but Werewolves more than anything win because they are skilled musicians performing their music with great passion and conviction.

"The Dead Are Screaming" features a raw, detailed, and powerful sounding production job, perfectly suiting the material. So while Werewolves still need to tweek their songwriting just a bit to make their songs a little more memorable, "The Dead Are Screaming" is still a high quality deathgrind release, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

martindavey87 Following on very closely to the format of 2004’s ‘Live At Budokan’, ‘Score: 20th Anniversary Tour’ is a fantastic DVD for fans of progressive metal icons, Dream Theater.

The first disc features an almost three-hour concert. Beautifully shot, with excellent sound and clear visuals, the band are on top form as always. The set is interesting in that, while touring in support of their ‘Octavarium’ album, (represented here five times), the band also go through various tracks throughout their discography in chronological order. Ending with an orchestra and treating us to ‘Octavarium’, ‘Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence’ and ‘Metropolis Pt. 1’, the set list is fantastic, and certainly differs to other live releases.

Amidst a number of bonus tracks and animated visuals, the true gem on the second disc is an hour-long documentary on the history of the band. While it’s a lot to cram into 60-minutes, this is still an interesting and enjoyable watch, and includes plenty of live footage, interviews and photos.

Rounding up the perfect trilogy of live albums/DVD’s, along with ‘Metropolis 2000…’, and ‘Budokan…’, ‘Score’ is an exceptional release, sure to please fans, and is an absolutely essential addition to every prog collection.

UMUR "Sweet Hollow" is the debut full-length studio album by international heavy metal act Them. The album was released through Empire Records in September 2016. Them was formed in 2008 by lead vocalist Troy Norr (Coldsteel) as a King Diamond tribute band (hence the band monicker which is the title of King Diamond´s 1988 third full-length studio album). Them played many shows in the next 3 years, before entering a hiatus until 2014, when Norr started working on a band and album concept.

Stylistically the material on "Sweet Hollow" is a powerful, theatrical/horror themed, and melodic type of heavy metal greatly influenced by King Diamond. So in many ways Them is still a tribute band, although they now play their own King Diamond influenced material. Norr is a skilled vocalist with a wide varity of vocal styles and he delivers both high pitched, mid-range, and lower gruff type vocals. He has a voice and vocal style not terribly far from King Diamond. Norr has enlisted a crew of skilled musicians for the project and they all deliver strong and professional performances. Some of the involved musicians are relatively prolific like drummer Kevin Talley (Dååth, Misery Index, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Six Feet Under...etc.) and bassist Mike LePond (Symphony X, Death Dealer, Mike LePond's Silent Assassins...etc.), so "Sweet Hollow" is definitely a high level musicianship album.

The material is well written, catchy, and powerful (featuring elements of both heavy metal, US power metal, and occasionally thrash metal). The concept horror story works relatively well with themes like demonic possession, a woman burned at the stake by a priest, and a haunted house. If that sounds familiar to you, it´s not that strange as all those elements have also been featured on various King Diamond albums. So the King Diamond connection is impossible to ignore and to my ears "Sweet Hollow" have a lot in common with the post-2000 King Diamond releases, although "Sweet Hollow" features a better sounding production than anything their heroes have released in many years.

So if you´re a fan of the post-2000 King Diamond releases and aren´t bothered by the fact that Them are basically a tribute band playing material which are very similar to the latter day material of King Diamond, "Sweet Hollow" may be the a release for you. To my ears it´s a release predominantly of interest to the all consuming King Diamond fan, who just can´t get enough of music that sounds even remotely like King Diamond. To the rest of us the output of the original band is probably enough. Quality wise there´s however nothing wrong with "Sweet Hollow" and therefore a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Mourning Has Broken" is the third full-length studio album by UK, Nottingham based thrash/heavy metal act Sabbat. The album was released through Noise Records in March 1991. It´s the successor to "Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays)" from 1989 and features several lineup changes since the predecessor. Lead vocalist Martin Walkyier has been replaced by Ritchie Desmond, guitarist Simon Jonas has been replaced by Neil Watson, and bassist Fraser Craske has been replaced by Wayne Banks, leaving only guitarist Andy Sneap and drummer Simon Negus from the lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Some artists are able to successfully replace band members and carry on as if nothing had happened, or at least with minimal impact, and even in some cases with an improved sound as a result of the lineup changes, but none of the above apply to Sabbat on "Mourning Has Broken". Especially the change on the lead vocalist spot has had great impact. Not only did Walkyier have a distinct sounding voice and vocal style, but his lyrics and pagan image, were a big part of Sabbat, and although Desmond is actually a skilled vocalist with a strong voice, who generally does a good job on "Mourning Has Broken", he has a hard time bringing anything resembling Walkyier´s intensity and uniqueness to the table.

"Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays)" introduced some longer and more complex compositions, compared to the material on the debut album, but on "Mourning Has Broken", Sabbat fully enters progressive territories, and the music on the album can best be described as a technical thrash/progressive metal release with touches of US power metal. Although some may argue it´s not the best comparison, I actually think Confessor is the most valid reference when describing the sound of "Mourning Has Broken". There´s a similar high pitched, bleak, and toneless quality to the vocal style of Desmond, and although not quite as technical or innovative as Confessor are, Sabbat still come off as a pretty technically well playing act on "Mourning Has Broken" (Negus do seem a bit out of his league here though, and the drumming has a tendency to sound a little stiff and awkward). At times I´m also reminded of an act like Sanctuary.

With the departure of Walkyier out goes the pagan/occult lyrics too, and "Mourning Has Broken" focuses more on bleak (even depressive) social/political/religious issues/topics/observations. This is a dark and heavy release filled to the brim with gloom and despair at the state of the world.

"Mourning Has Broken" features a sound production which is not up to par with what you´d expect from a production from 1991. There´s something wrong with the tone of the instruments (especially the drums) and how they are placed in the mix. Ultimately it´s just not a pleasant sounding production job, and even if the remaining parts of the album (performances, songwriting...etc.) were of a high quality, the sound production would still have a negative influence on my overall impression of the album. The performances and the songwriting are however not at all times of a high quality, and especially the songwriting seems directionless and lacking hooks. Sneap himself has in interviews called the songwriting patchy and said that the tracks were thrown together, and that´s also the feeling you get as a listener, when giving the album a spin (some tracks are decent while others suffer more as a consequence of the patchy songwriting).

When that is said I still think "Mourning Has Broken" is a relatively interesting album. It´s not a great album nor is a particularly memorable release, and it´s questionable if the decision to release the album under the Sabbat monicker was a good one, but there´s still something intriguing about the band´s ability to create a bleak atmosphere, and there are also some really sharp and powerful riffs and lead guitar work featured here. As mentioned above Desmond isn´t as unique a vocalist as Walkyier, but he can hold his own, and his US power metal vocal style (high pitched screaming and deeper and more raw shouting) actually suits the material pretty well. So bad sounding production and patchy songwriting, but predominantly great musicianship and a nicely bleak atmosphere are what characterize "Mourning Has Broken". A 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.