MORTA SKULD
MORTA SKULD “Creation Undone”
By Dr. Abner Mality
MORTA SKULD has been lumbering around the death metal scene for 30 years now. It is safe to say they are the #1 band of their kind from Wisconsin and the top outfit from Milwaukee. There is a reason for their longevity. There’s also a reason they haven’t really elevated to the level of an OBITUARY or CANNIBAL CORPSE. The reasons can both be found on their new record “Creation Undone”.
You’ll be hard pressed to find any fan of old school death metal who wouldn’t enjoy the battering ram attack of “Creation Undone”. The sound is thick and chewy, the riffs supremely easy to get into. The songs are a mix of quick and lethal with the deliberate and tank-like. On the whole, I’d say they are much in the style of OBITUARY and MASSACRE, but they do have enough of their own sound to be identifiable as “MORTA SKULD”. For example, the ghost of melody arises on “Oblivion” and “By Design”.
Yes, the album is enjoyable, but to me, there’s a real feeling of settling for “good enough” here. None of the tracks leaps out to take the lead and I can’t imagine really remembering any one song from this in a few months. Dave Gregor’s vocals are almost robotic in their monotony, never varying by an inch and always in the same mode. I suspect this is probably according to plan, to give a semi-industrial edge to things, but it doesn’t add much seasoning to this dish.
“Creation Undone” is perfectly acceptable death metal in the classic mode...and not much more.