vote
7.5
- Bands:
MORGUL BLADE - Duration: 00:35:49
- Available from: 04/26/2024
- Label:
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No Remorse Records
How do you tell Tolkien’s universe and the mythology of Arda in a new way? And how do you make the new wave of traditional heavy metal original and fun once again? This time, taking us by the hand and guiding us through the most dismal pages of the “Silmarillion” and “The Lord of the Rings” are Morgul Blade, a band from Philadelphia who from the name, cover and title of the album, “Heavy Metal Wraiths ”, seems to want to define a real manifesto. Certainly one of the most intriguing and impactful names that we have come across in this environment for quite some time, with a title which, let’s face it clearly, is already a declaration of intent: the group led by Lord Klauf and by Wil Specter, after the excellent “Fell Sorcery Abounds” of 2021, he demonstrates that he knows exactly how to combine an imagery close to that skilfully historiated in a more extreme way by Summoning with the roughest heavy and the most epic.
If the fast “Eagle Strike” and the rhythmic “Beneath The Black Sails” are already characterized by an excellent balance between Klauf’s scream and Specter’s dungeon synth, it is also thanks to the entry of Jim Viola on bass – already in the surprising Wild Beyond – and Elyse NightHawk of Heavy Temple who manages to create an explosive mixture that combines epic metal and black.
Without beating around the bush too much: the track that gives its name to the work rocks so much and is probably one of the most beautiful things we’ve heard in this genre in a while now, not to mention the black metal outburst that starts with ” Frostwyrm Cavalry” and then evolves into an almost lyrical break where only bass and guitar dominate.
The story of Arda, as you may have guessed, is therefore told from the side of the bad guys, because after the lyrical moment full of pathos of “Widow’s Lament” it’s Ungoliant’s turn to take the microphone in “Spider God”, characterized by a truly killer riff and that “the race of men has failed” growled towards the end of the track that won’t stop you from raising your horns to the sky.
The blast beat outbursts continue to dominate even in the following tracks, with the exception of the two dungeon synths “A Welcoming Heart” and the final “The Last Line of Kings”, even if the piece played by the whole band that closes the album “ Neither Cross Nor Crown”, is an invitation to rebel against both religions and kings, more in line with an ancestral heavy metal philosophy.
It is surprising how Morgul Blade are always able to combine different aspects of our beloved music while remaining in a perfect balance that will probably please almost everyone, from the choirs to the solemn marches and passing through the outbursts of storm that will surely have lashed the faces of the guided elves by Feanor in Helcaraxë.
The album’s only flaw is that it lasts just over half an hour, with three out of ten songs being essentially instrumental interludes, but it cannot be denied that “Heavy Metal Wraiths” is without a doubt one of the most interesting works in the field. NWOTHM of recent years, making Morgul Blade pass the obstacle of the second studio album in a big way.
