Morta Skuld – Wounds Deeper than Time (Review)

Morta Skuld are a US death metal band and this is their fifth album.

Wounds Deeper than Time is this veteran band’s first album in 20 years. No pressure, eh?

Well, lovers of old-school death metal will surely get their fix here.

Brutal riffs and macabre melodies mix together as thick as thieves. The band seem quite comfortable writing a good tune and I have to say that Wounds Deeper than Time is a strong album that’s full of them.

On top of the granite-like distortion of the rhythm guitars we get plenty of decent leads and shredding solos. The musicianship is not in doubt, of course, but the main highlight of Wounds Deeper than Time is the songs themselves. The compositions are all based around writing actual songs that stick in the brain like a buzzsaw. Morta Skuld are very good at this. Each track has an identity of its own, and all of them justify their respective places on the album.

There’s a lot to like on this album. Plenty of these tracks seem born for the live environment; tearing things up in the pit and destroying their surroundings is their birthright.

The singer’s growls work well with the muscular guitars. He has a great deal of presence and uses it well, providing the listener with lots of hooks to get caught up on.

The production is as solid as the music, allowing each instrument to sound on top form. I like that you can hear what everything is doing clearly, especially the bits where the bass breaks through to the surface.

You really can’t go wrong with a release like this. Simple, straightforward death metal songs, rooted in the old-school and played with skill. What’s not to like?

After a 20 year gap, Morta Skuld have delivered. Well worth a listen.