DECEASED
DECEASED “Children Of The Morgue”
By Theron Moore
Well, I think we have a firm winner for record of the year. DECEASED are gearing up to roll out their eighth studio album on August 30 via Hells Headbangers Records and it’s nothing short of epic, metal magnificence. Till now I thought “Fearless Undead Machines” might stand the test of time as their magnus opus, but I believe this new album will be viewed as their masterpiece in years to come.
“Children Of The Morgue” is an unsettling and unflinching exposition of death and mortality through the musical lens of DECEASED with this one simple message: At some undisclosed point in time, we are all going to die. Each song on “Children Of The Morgue” is a deep dive into a different aspect of death and dying.
Although the subject matter is intense and depressing, the songwriting is astoundingly good, the songs are extremely well-orchestrated, and the music is anything but standard death metal. There are fast parts, slow parts, all crafted to serve the lyrical side of the track which brings me to this: If death has or may figure into your life (more sooner than later), this isn’t the disc to listen to.
It seems like too much of today’s death metal strives to fit into a certain mold or rock a specific sound, all for the sake of genre (or getting invited to a fest). On “Children Of The Morgue”. the song commands center stage while the music plays something akin to a supporting role which I mean in a positive, respectful way, not to denigrate anyone’s effort in the making of this fine record. And DECEASED have never sounded better than they do here with their fused together style of thrashy death. This record is epic.
Listening to “Children Of The Morgue” is like reading a well written book or watching a good movie, the continuity and flow of the album is seamless and easy, there’s nothing cookie cutter or unoriginal about any of it. The song titles pull you in, the lyrics grab hold of you, and the music punches a big nasty hole straight through your head. I can’t say enough good things about “Children Of The Morgue”. Stream it, buy it, just don’t die listening to it. Or maybe you might?
5/5 Stars