Mors Principium EST: Liberation = Termination

With the release of their 3rd full length release Liberation = Termination it's apparent from the opening number "The Oppressed Will Rise" that Finland's Mors Principium EST intends on wasting little time getting their message across. The track features an arsenal of intense riffing, layered guitar, blast beat drumming and the throat shredding thrash / death vocals of singer Ville Viljanen. If this barnstormer of an introduction doesn't make you take notice, then the curve ball they throw you next certainly will. "The Animal Within" begins with a brief, dare I say dance beat style intro before the full frontal attack of the guitars and vocals kick in giving the song a futuristic makeover from hell. The next two tracks "Finality" and "Cleansing Rain" are a bit too repetative and just don't stand out as much sonically, so some of the momentum gets lost. The short instrumental "Forgotten" finds them getting back on track a bit segueing perfectly into the opening old school thrash riffs of "Sinner's Defeat", a number loaded with an even balance of heavy riffage and simple yet atmospheric keyboards. The final 3 tracks don't offer too much in the way of variety and unfortunately doesn't deviate a whole lot from the established pattern already laid down. Ironically it's another instrumental; this time the closing number "Lost Beyond Retrieval" which ends things on a high note with it's rock solid guitar harmonies and overall layered sound.

In closing Liberation = Termination is a bit of a hit and miss for this listener. The band has some serious talent musically and they've shown that they're capable of mixing things up and adding different sounds and influences into their music. Unfortunately these moments are fleeting and too often left me scratching my head wondering what they really could have done had they continued further down their path of muscial experimentation.

Track Listing
1) Orsus
2) The Oppressed Will Rise
3) The Animal Within
4) Finality
5) Cleansing Rain
6) Forgotten
7) Sinners Defeat
8) The Distance Between
9) It Is Done
10) Terminal Liberation
11) Lost Beyond Retrieval

Added: March 21st 2007
Reviewer: Ryan Sparks
Score:
Related Link: Listenable Records
Hits: 3327
Language: english

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