Album Review: Morbus Grave - Feasting the Macabre
Reviewed by Sam Jones
It’s nice to return overseas once again and inspect some more European Death Metal, this time in the form of Italy’s Morbus Grave, having recently signed onto Memento Mori Records. Formed in 2014 out of the city of Milan, Morbus Grave took their time getting their material released with a Demo in 2016, a Split alongside Lurking Terror the year after, numerous Demos and a Compilation in 2019, and so forth. Eventually, the band would release their first full length record, Lurking Into Absurdity, and release another Split with Ecuadorean act Abnue in 2023. Now signed on to a new record label and featuring some wicked album art, Morbus Grave return with their second album and are slated to unleash Feasting The Macabre for a July 22nd release date. I was curious as per what I would find with this record, and thus I delved head first into this Italian work of extreme metal.
It’s curious how Morbus Grave have crafted their guitar tone for this record. Granted, the songwriting is thick with weight and it’s clearly a riff assault that’s vying for a deeper impact instead of hanging in the air, making for a visceral dive at us, however what helps this band separate themselves from the pack is how their soundscape feels draped in slime. By this, I mean that their riffs from time to time will split off from the rest of the band’s performance and you’ll really feel the crushing mass this ooze is having upon the rest of the guitar work. One can imagine something primordial rising from a netherscape, coated in viscous substances that are gloopy and impenetrably thick to the touch. It’s a kind of cerebral tone without it being too similar to what Death or Worm would do; for the most part though the guitar work doesn’t try and break out on its own terms too often as the riffs and basslines meld together seamlessly throughout, so when Morbus Grave do want to make a stronger statement your attention is immediately raised because it’s clearly outside the norm of what they’ve established in their songwriting.
In fact, the album is heavy on the bass without the band feeling the need to render the record a crushing, cavernous experience. One can go into this record with merely a modicum of time with extreme metal and likely come away from this knowing they’ve got another band to watch out for. The production might be utterly bursting at the seams with how much power and bass is stored within but it’s just enough that the band aren’t at risk of overbloating themselves; our attention can always focus on what the band are doing in the moment and it’s always a comfortable listen, one that doesn’t try to do too much at any instance. The band understand the desire to emanate evil but ultimately audience engagement must be the main priority. It’s not the kind of bass presence where you can hear distinct basslines playing throughout their songwriting, but it cannot be ignored because it’s there in droves in the mix.
Structurally speaking, Morbus Grave don’t appear to ascribe to death metal as done in the US; if anything it’s more attuned with what Swedish death metal has thrown out. There’s little fanfare connected to these guys as that play, for when riffs or a track begins there’s hardly any buildup attributed to it. Rather than hype their audience up for what’s coming, Morbus Grave opt for a more aggressive, instantaneous approach whereby you’re thrown in headfirst and expected to swim. By doing so, the band remove the necessity for precious seconds to be thrown away in anything that doesn’t otherwise contribute to the track progression they have planned and, judging by the album experience, they have plenty to show you for the songwriting hardly ceases to slow down or stagnate once they get that ball rolling. Even if their songwriting requires their performance to showcase a more stripped back, malevolent aesthetic, you can bet they’re going to use every iota of time they have at keeping you entertained and on board with their sound.
I feel like the drums are an underrated piece of the record since the record’s mix is quite heavy in the bass and therefore some of the drums’ impact can get a little lost as tracks follow one and another. When we’re given the opportunity, the bass drums are these frantic, pummelling forces that actually contribute heavily to the album’s overall weight. Cymbals and Tom-toms strike nice and clear however and can be heard easily and cleanly above the myriad din the band otherwise conjure. By viewing the instrumentation as a whole, it’s abundantly clear that Morbus Grave wanted to craft a more sinister, primeval sort of death metal and I believe they succeeded in that front. Though blast beats are present, they’re limited to a small handful of instances so your expectations are never raised for their inclusion. The primary goal for the album is instilling a sense of dread behind every corner for the band offer no respite or sanctuary for dispossessed souls seeking refuge.
In conclusion, Morbus Grave should be pretty proud of what they’ve written and recorded here for its not often you find a death metal record that’s attuned with conventional extreme metal, but still writes its own identity with ease. I’d certainly be interested in what else the band may release in time because their songwriting is straightforward yet never leaves you wondering where else they could go. Like placing the band in a tight space, they can do a lot with little room to work with. Before you know it, Feasting The Macabre is finished and you’ll be hoping to play it back all over again; it may not run for long but a record like this doesn’t need to for the maximum impact hoped for. This is a record that’s draped with atmosphere and though the band employ few typical elements of atmospheric immersion herein, one cannot help but feel pulled headlong into their grasp. I had a thoroughly good time with Feasting The Macabre and I anticipate many and more will do so too, upon its release come July 22nd.
