Mr Death: Detached From Life

Mr Death may well be a new name on the (you guessed it) Death Metal scene, however when you have ex members of Treblinka/Tiamat on board, among others, then this is no wet behind the ears rooky outfit. Formed in 2007 when bassist Juck Thullberg, guitarist Alex Stjernfeldt (Oceanlift) and percussion pounder Jonas Ohlsson (Void/Massive) banded together with the intention of hammering out some old school Death Metal. Gravel growler Jocke Lindstrom, who had previously fronted Digression Assassins was next to sign up before Juck's ex Treblinka/Tiamat bandmate Stefan Lagergren completed the line up by doubling the guitar assault.

I have to admit that a normally major stumbling block for me is when a band put out a disc that is mostly devoid of any great intention to have an ounce of originality and in the case of Mr Death, that accusation could be fairly and squarely aimed at them. However and it is a big however, when the aural attack is as blisteringly convincing as that of Mr Death, then it would be churlish not to just throw yourself into the mayhem.

As their initial mission statement intended, Mr Death have no pretentions to be anything other than straight ahead, old school, Death Metal and with this Agonia Records release, Detached From Life, they haven't just hit that nail on the head, they have pounded it into submission and then continued their assault.

Whether it's the no compromise mauling of "Suffer" or the simply brutal "Death Vs The Living" the scything twin guitar and pummelling bass and drums hit the mark every time with deadly precision and no intention of leaving survivors. Add to that a screaming growler like Jocke who has the ability to maintain a grunting, snarling howl, but to do so with character and a style that allows him to be both terrifying and accessible at the same time. His voice and attack are a pleasant diversion from all the other vocalists out there right now who are happy to sound like carbon copies of each other.

What makes Detached From Life doubly interesting is the intricate beats and guitar lines, which also allow Mr Death to alter the pace and feel both during the songs and from track to track and a sterling, dry production from Tomas Skogsberg (Entombed, Backyard Babies, etc. etc.) only enhances this varied and compelling delivery.

This is nothing you haven't heard before, but it is undoubtedly still something worth hearing again and again.

Track Listing
1. Suffer
2. Fin
3. A Dying God
4. Evil Undisputed
5. Muse of Chaos
6. Combined Anatomy
7. Misery's Womb
8. Denied The Will To Live
9. Death Vs. The Living Dead
10. The Storm
11. Black Blood

Added: December 5th 2009
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band's MySpace Page
Hits: 1918
Language: english

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