Reviewed by Christian Cunningham

With every release becoming an exercise in guessing what sound Mortification will come up with next, this, their 14th album, sounds somewhat mid-era, with a decidedly experimental sound. Some use of rather unusual effects such as on "Pushing The Envelope Of The Red Sonrise" evidences their slightly experimental mindset on this album, mixing in unexpected chord changes with some nice, off kilter beat changing. The drumming of Adam Zaffarese is a real pleasure, throwing in some brutal blasts and grinding the action on in his typical fashion. Steve's vocal has come in for some criticism in recent years and on this release he is a long way off from the terrifying guttural sounds of "Scrolls Of The Megilloth", sounding more "shouty punk" than death roar. There are some exquisite lead breaks on tracks like "Resurrection Band" and "Master Of Reinvention", and Mortification still know how to completely nail a riff as they do on "Alexander The Metalworker", giving the neck a workout with some chugging guitar riffery. There is a very definite punk edge to some riffs however, and it is when playing these that tracks lose impact and impetus, and almost seemingly their essence. The result is a collection of tracks that have many good moments in, but some throwaway ones too.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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