Review by Tobias on March 29, 2002.

Even after the dust settled from Deathrace King, I never realized how apropos the name The Crown really is. Now the kings of all that is intense are back with raging depth and voracious sound in their latest release.

This album is loud as hell. Lots of albums are as well, but unlike the masses, Crowned In Terror has a sense of depth and three-pronged whipping precision that will strike you in many places at once.

The rhythm section alone could bore a hole through the earth. Faster than a jackrabbit on crack and heavier than a pile-driver, the only drawback here is that this rage machine can occasionally drown out the ripping six-stringers.

Marko and Marcus burn well patterned welts on you before you can blink with dynamic and refreshingly varied styles resulting in uniquely identifiable tracks. This ability to make each song a separate entity is often a skill that is grossly under-dispersed in most extreme metal bands. Although there are times when the guitars can sound on the verge of being out of control, those times seem to fit the music very well as demonstrated in some of my favorite tracks Speed of Darkness and Out for Blood. The creativity and diversity shown by these two really push this album over the top.

Our man Tomas utterly destroys with his delivery on the mic. While many people may concede to the point that death screams like those of The Crown and The Haunted can be and are often easily replicated in many bands, it is that fine point of delivery that makes the difference; the timing and infused intensity make for a blazingly fantastic performance. It’s that delivery which will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up when listening to tracks like the insta-classic Death is the Hunter.

While the music played here doesn’t rock the scales of originality, the deft intensity and propensity with which The Crown assaults the listener cranks turns all the judgment dials up a few notches.

Bottom Line: It makes my nipples hard! When this album is unleashed, come hell or high water, you’d better be on it.

Categorical Rating Breakdown
Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 8
Originality: 9
Overall: 10

Rating: 9.2 of 10

Review by Alex on June 8, 2019.

I almost skipped over this due to receiving so much physical media thus being forced to prioritize those higher than digital and wish I had gotten to it earlier, but I’m glad it did not get lost in the piles of intangible music.  Mutilate is comprised of high skilled musicians, it’s evident with every note played. Back to front Contagium is a complete record of sound compositions on an exotic cloudy production that gives the listener impressions suggesting Mutilate recorded this material just where the cover art depicts. Contagium has to be one of the best death metal albums released in 2019. There's been a-lot thus far but Contagium cackles at the feeble efforts of many. Every song is a blast of thrashing death metal fury filled with scourging guitar leads, dynamic drumming and cadaverous vocals. In addition, Mutilate has a sound they can call theirs thanks to the production heard on the record; it brings to mind the mid-80s style of thrash metal records with a low but audible bass and a heavy emphasis on lead guitars. I have heard their 2018 output Tormentium, which I thought was a good debut full- length record but, Contagium is way better, in every way. The production is still raw sounding (something I liked about Tormentium), but the song writing has taken a turn towards improved structuring, transitions and thrashing guitar leads that grab your attention on every entry making Mutilate’s second record a case of pulsing adrenaline and a more serious force within the underground. This is a must have for 2019. 

From the tramping drumming of “Vile and Disgusting”, the ear-gasmic licks and vocal antics of “Quartered”, to impulsive energetic sonic-storms of “Black Faith”, “Falling into Darkness”, “Decapitator” and “Skeletal Haunting”, you rarely find reason to complain unless you're burnt-out or just don’t appreciate this kind of material. I mean it's been done in the past, but to hear it replicated in the modern era to this much effect tells me the genre is in a healthy state (at least where the underground is concerned). Apart from being so deeply rooted in fiery thrash /death metal, Contagium reserves some space for doom metal sections that can be heard on tracks “Eyes of a Child” and “Falling into Darkness” with the latter having some of the stand-out lead guitar work. Even a punk metal aura is created on “Black Fate” which is again another track worth mentioning due to the guitar leads. The licks on Contagium are something-else, with every transition you’re presented with a string of notes or vocal piece that pulls you in every-time. Not excluding the drumming, showing the competency of keeping momentum, but also providing a memorable drum attack that mimics many styles, from doom metal, death metal, thrash metal, punk metal and even “war metal”. 

It's the artwork that caught my attention for Contagium, it holds a mysticism often associated with death metal when it was merely an embryo, and the music supports the picturesque mystique. This isn’t one of those records that only has an eye-catching cover, the music here is as strong and appealing as the artwork. 

Headbang till your nose bleeds.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10