This is the second album from international death metallers Mors Verum.
Brought to us by current and ex-members of Æpoch, (amongst other bands), Canvas contains 31 minutes of material. Mors Verum play their death metal in a non-standard way that really pays off, offering up something different to the norm that’s very good indeed.
Canvas operates from a grounded starting point of old-school death metal. Onto this the band have grafted dissonant, progressive, and technical elements, making for music that merges all of these well-judged component parts into five compelling songs.
Mors Verum’s songwriting approach balances riffs and structures that are well-crafted and notable for their clarity of vision, against a dark dissonant edge that wants to drag everything kicking and screaming into an unreachable abyss. This balancing act is beneficial, as it allows the music to benefit from both sides. This has resulted in songs that are, on the whole, and relatively speaking, remarkably accessible and moreish for this sort of thing.
That’s not all though, as Mors Venum also deal in esoteric atmosphere. The engaging riffs that are haunted by dissonant spectres also allow for the creation of mood-focused sections that find the band broadening their arcane brutality into vast, immersive soundscapes.
So, Canvas has a lot of strengths. It has punishing riffs that make you want to move, dissonant darkness that draws you in, progressive depth that fuels its worldbuilding, and atmospheric reach that grabs you firmly and won’t let go. On top of this, Canvas is alive with a fertile creative energy that just makes you want to listen to it. It’s infectious.
Mors Verum have impressed. A lot of bands playing this sort of style are tight and surgical, but few also provide a compelling feeling-rich tapestry of atypical hooks and emotive range that Mors Verum apparently do so effortlessly.
Essential listening for fans of bands such as Demilich, Gorguts, and Ulcerate.
Wonderbox Metal 