Retromorphosis – Psalmus Mortis (Review)

This is the debut album from Swedish death metallers Retromorphosis.

Well, this was an instantly enticing proposition. It’s death metal brought to us by ex-members of Spawn of Possession, (four out of five of Retromorphosis’ members), and an ex-member of Decrepit Birth, which is enough to get anyone’s notice. However, when you look at their collective history though, you realise just how much experience they bring to the table – Alkaloid, Blood Red Throne, Deeds of Flesh, Defeated Sanity, Eschaton, Obscura, Necrophagist, Visceral Bleeding, and many others. What a list! Considering this, expectations are high for Psalmus Mortis, perhaps unfairly so.

Regardless, Retromorphosis have hit the ground running with the 42-minute Psalmus Mortis, and that’s an understatement. As you have probably guessed, this is technical death metal, and exceptional technical death metal at that.

Psalmus Mortis has strong ties to the classic tech death style, as you would expect, but also doesn’t limit itself to that. I’m fact, the album boasts a compelling mix of old and new, allowing it to learn from past strengths, while also conquering new domains. The members of Retromorphosis may have an impressive history, but this is a new entity entirely capable of standing on its own merits. Psalmus Mortis is a monster.

The technical wizardry on display is immense, but this is pressed into the service of the songs, rather than existing for its own sake. As such, Psalmus Mortis is not just a frenzy of technical aggression, but also hits the listener with the sort of music that makes you want to move, and move hard. This is a brutal album, but it’s also inventive and creative with its heaviness.

The band have clearly worked on the flow, structuring, and dynamics of the songs, and it had paid off handsomely. Not only this, but Retromorphosis also take the time to build mood and atmosphere, which is great to witness. The atmospheric elements are skilfully incorporated into the whole, with dark melodies, synths, and other sounds adding layers in strategic places across the songs, to notable effect.

This really elevates Psalmus Mortis for me. Retromorphosis have concentrated on creating actual songs, with technical intricacy, progressive depth, old-school power, and atmospheric weight. It’s common in tech death to impress with speed, complexity, intensity, etc., and there is plenty of that here. However, a key differentiating factor with Retromorphosis is their willingness and ability to push the style forward, pouring a generous helping of macabre atmosphere into their potent cocktail. The accomplished songwriting ensures it’s part of the core of the music too, rather than a tacked on afterthought.

Oh my. Expectations were high, but Retromorphosis have actually exceeded them. I was expecting a tech death bonanza, but what I actually got was an album that definitely exists in that space, but has spread outside of it too. Psalmus Mortis has the potential to appeal to a wide range of death metal fans, everything from the abovementioned bands, to fans of Death, Suffocation, Tomb Mold, The Zenith Passage, and many more. It’s a wonderful synthesis of old and new, delivering death metal that’s doesn’t just hit the spot, but completely destroys it, and then haunts it afterwards.

Completely essential.