Morkhgrat – Morkhgrat

I’m not sure how I found this band or came to possess the album, like one of those people who suddenly come round from a 20 year trance and can’t remember who they are. I’m glad I discovered Morkhgrat though because this is another very good debut release.

No promos, no demos, no splits. Nothing. Just, bang, have a full length album in the face! I like the fact there was no warning about this band, it is a surprise and a real treat to hear something so good for a first effort. Like the progress of the Wehrmacht during first phases of Operation Barbarossa this self-titled, self-released album has been making massive inroads into my Black Metal airtime.

Mainman Zargoth unleashed his obvious talent upon us, seemingly in secret, nearly a year ago from the bunkers of the Southern Phillipines which was previously not noted for its high quality bands. However, the blast crater from this should be considerable enough to make alot of people take notice.

As a Black Metal addict I love the feeling of not knowing what will assault you from the stereo when you first listen to a new band and if it hits the spot can be as satisfying as the effects of smoking a massive bong! After a short intro, which is a sample from one of the Hellraiser movies, Morkhgrat go from 0 – 150 in under a second. The riffing is fast, concise and flowing. Vocals are high pitched and intensely delivered.

It quickly became apparent to me that this is well above average. The production is pretty much perfect for the music and nothing has been neglected here. Even though it features a drum machine the album contains the most proficient and natural sounding programming I have ever heard. So much so that you can quickly forget that it’s a machine.

Of the eleven songs, which vary in pace and length, the highlights are the opener; ‘Terrorbeast’ which blasts off with ferocity. ‘A Lie Foretold’ with it’s changes of pace and catchy harsh riffing and ‘Blood For The Gods’ that features a quality guitar solo, something that is neglected way too frequently in Black Metal. It finishes with one the best Darkthrone covers ever made. Morkhgrat’s take on Transilvanian Hunger is something to savour.

There really isn’t a bad track on the album. The songs generate their depth from a structure based on riff progression rather than ultra complex arrangements which works really well. Zargoth’s talent is unquestionable and with a new album due out around the end of the year Morkhgrat are another band to watch out for. Even though the bar has been set extremely high for the following releases you can bet it’ll eclipse even a debut of this magnitude!

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Tags: 2008, Morkhgrat, Phillipines

This entry was posted on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 22:48 and is filed under Black Metal Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.