RIGOR MORTIS — Slaves to the Grave (review)

RIGOR MORTIS — Slaves to the Grave album cover

Album · 2014 · Thrash Metal

3.5/5 · 2015-02-09
UMUR

"Slaves to the Grave" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Rigor Mortis. The album was released through Rigor Mortis Records in October 2014. Rigor Mortis was originally active in the period 1983 - 1991 and released two studio albums in those years. So "Slaves to the Grave" is a comback album and the first album by the band since "Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth (1991)". Rigor Mortis reunited in 2005 in the lineup who recorded the 1988 debut full-length studio album and initially played sporadic shows. The fans started demanding new material though, but no label showed interest, so Rigor Mortis had to raise the money for the recording of "Slaves to the Grave" through a successful crowd funding campaign (raising $22,838 from fan preorders). The album was recorded in February 2012, but sadly guitarist Mike Scaccia (who was also a member of Ministry for years) never saw the album released, as he passed away from a heart attack while performing onstage in December 2012. The three remaining members opted to release "Slaves to the Grave" as the final Rigor Mortis album, but not tour under the monicker. Instead they perform under the Wizards of Gore monicker playing Rigor Mortis material.

Stylistically Rigor Mortis pretty much continue from where they left off on "Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth (1991)", but with the lineup change that Bruce Corbitt is back behind the mike instead of Doyle Bright. This is organic and old school sounding US thrash metal, with a distinct sounding vocalist and also another display of how great a guitarist Mike Scaccia was. The whole band are tight playing yet perform with that crucial organic touch, which makes contemporary old school sounding releases sound authentic.

The material is well written and relatively catchy, featuring the trademark horror lyrics, which Rigor Mortis have embraced since day one. Something which is also apparent when reading song titles like "Ancient Horror", "Fragrance of Corpse", and "Poltergeist". The two closing tracks "Sacramentum Gladitorum" and "Ludus Magnus", which seque into each other and form a sort of mini epic, are a bit different in that regard though, as the lyrics for "Ludus Magnus" ("Sacramentum Gladitorum" is an instrumental) is about gladiators in ancient Rome. Those two tracks are actually some of the standout tracks and highlights of the album along with the opening neo-classical inspired guitar work on "The Infected", but as mentioned the material is pretty solid throughout (although occasionally slightly formulaic).

The raw and organic sound production suits the music perfectly, and there is no doubt that these guys knew exactly which sound they wanted for their music. This pretty much sounds like Rigor Mortis did in the 80s, and there´s certainly no limbless "dinosaur" feeling about it (meaning that Rigor Mortis sound fresh even though they play retro sounding material). While there is often a "loose" rock´n´roll feeling to the proceedings (which is quite charming), Rigor Mortis still maintain a tight grip around compositions, sound, and performances, and overall a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved.