Review by Felix on June 21, 2022.

Some guys wonder about the big number of Finnish black metal bands. I don’t. For the explanation is simple. Finland is, as we all know, the land of the thousand lakes. And what do well-behaved lakes do in winter? Correct, they freeze over. Now winter in Finland lasts approximately from the end of August to the end of May. In addition, this country has almost more lakes (188.000) than inhabitants… as said, almost. Anyway, this means that more or less every inhabitant constantly passes by a frozen lake. In view of this, the idea of icy guitar leads is close at all times. The result is the world’s most vital black metal scene and that's only logical.

Shadow's Mortuary are a part of this scene. Well, assuming that each of these communities has leaders and followers, the band belongs to the latter. There are no individual elements in its sound. Unohdettu Maa presents the pretty usual mix of raw, throaty vocals, rumbling, cold guitars and pounding drums between mid-tempo and high velocity. Aggressive sections are mixed with parts which show one iota of melody. Finally, the devil sits on the shoulders of the musicians and so a diabolical aura is omnipresent, even though the band does not focus very much on atmosphere. There is rather a small rocking, punk-like attitude that shimmers through the songs every now and then. However, the malicious nagging of the lead vocalist clarifies that this is generic black metal.

Apart from the missing individuality, it is the quality of the compositions that makes Shadow's Mortuary to followers. No, I do not speak about a weak work. For instance, the rolling guitar line at the beginning of 'Teloituksen Aika' opens the gate to a pretty intensive, evil and cruel piece of completely non-polished black metal. Its fast parts deliver a proper feeling of insanity and so I am listening to a great number from the beginning to the end. But Finland has given the world so many glorious black metal songs that a couple of good tracks is not enough to be ahead of the pack. This is especially true in the light of pieces like 'Viimeinen Laukaus'. It's okay, yes, yes... it is. But sometimes "okay" is just another word for shit – so let's not kid ourselves, compared to the highlights of bands like Behexen, Malum or Aegrus, this bland composition ripples along like a small stream in the spring sun. But well, as noted above, they don't know a season called spring in Finland. Perhaps this must be taken into account to reduce guilt.

The angry 'Ylistis' is carved from other wood. It makes us forget the few number of lukewarm compositions of the album. Moreover, together with the vehement closer, it builds a furious and ferocious ending. Unohdettu Maa with its cloudy artwork is not bad and it would have profited from a better defined production. Here reigns Mr. Rumble! Nevertheless, black metal maniacs can check this album without having to fear much. I just have three wishes for the next album from Shadow's Mortuary: more expressive riffs (the one of the opener shows that they can create them), the realization that slow pieces without a spooky mood make little sense and the courage to integrate one or two individual elements. This cannot be too much to ask. After all, winter starts again in Finland in two months.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by JD on February 1, 2011.

Seventh Sin is a Canadian band that has popped on the scene here seemingly from out of nowhere within the last month or so. I had been hearing some big time buzz about them through people in eastern Canada that I knew, then I got the CD right from the band themselves (off of Reverbnation.com). I was so damned excited as I put it in to play, as I hoped what I had heard was right.

At first, I was a bit puzzled with the music that was coming out of the headphones. It was sort of like this weird -yet compelling- bastard spawn of Keel, Deep Purple, a hint of Trivium while adding in some of the hair bands of the 80's that have all combined with Canada’s rock radio staples, Loverboy as well. After the shock of it, I was impressed.

The five songs here are pretty strong, and nicely written too. The bad side is that the music was little predictable, and the vocals can use some overhauling, but all of this is not bad as such. The trouble is the recording. It seemed to be rushed, and not at all well put together on the recording end of things. If they would have had taken more time, not to mention a really good producer... this could be a album that would be accessible to a whole load of different crowds.

These small problems seem to hamper the power I think Seventh Sin has at its core, but thankfully not overly. I see that they have a massively large future (with the right backing and recording help)and they are going to go far. I think they need to weasel themselves on to the next Children Of Bordom tour... they are the perfect opening act for them.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 6
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 7.5

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Michael on August 26, 2024.

German death metal institution Torment Of Souls exist now for 30 years and although they already released 4 full-length albums plus two EPs they haven't gotten too much attention so far. Now, in 2024, they have released their second EP Mortuus Est I – maybe this one is a game changer for them?

Well, my first encounter with the band was at a festival almost three years ago and although I was skeptical when I read about them, I must say that I really liked what they did on stage. So, I was pretty curious about what the new EP Mortuus Est I can offer to the world. Well, the first song 'Schlachthaus' (which means “Slaughterhouse” in English) starts with some death metal riffs that would have been quite popular at the end of the 90s when Gorefest did “Erase” and stuff like that. Very hardcore influenced, so to speak. But hey, that sounds quite groovy and cool. But suddenly there comes a break in the song and it turns into a totally different direction – traditional Swedish melo-death. Together with the hateful German lyrics, it is quite an entertaining song with a lot of catchy elements. 'Aus Der Erde' is a much faster song with a lot of Swedish death metal vibes. The guitars sound a lot like old Dismember / Entombed and the drums are very pummeling and straightforward. This one is a really cool death metal killer that you won't find anything wrong with. Again the German lyrics sound pretty sick and sinister, quite matching to the topic about zombies. 'Pandemie' sounds like a homage to mid-90s Atrocity in a certain way. Especially the vocals sound like Krull on “Willenkraft” – super guttural and deep. Sometimes the drums go more into some kind of brutal death metal (concerning the pace) but then again, the song turns out super melodic with these aforementioned Swedish influences. 'Mehr Hass 2024' is a re-recording of the single from 2021 and I cannot find too many differences to that short, hateful track which is very groovy. Maybe the sound is a little bit more powerful and strong but that's all. I guess the guys just wanted to have it on that EP because back then it was just released as a digital single. The title track however is something totally different from the rest of the songs and from what the band did so far. Spoken words and a gloomy piano initiate that satanic invocation, and when it comes to the guitars and drums, they are quite dragging and dark. Apart from that Mortuus Est I is more of a repetitive chant without any bridges or breaks.

If you are interested in the German death metal scene (and German lyrics aren't a no-go for you), Torment Of Souls is worth checking because they don't sound generic or uninteresting in any way on the new EP. I hope that they will get more attention in the future because they really deserve it!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Michael on August 26, 2024.

German death metal institution Torment Of Souls exist now for 30 years and although they already released 4 full-length albums plus two EPs they haven't gotten too much attention so far. Now, in 2024, they have released their second EP Mortuus Est I – maybe this one is a game changer for them?

Well, my first encounter with the band was at a festival almost three years ago and although I was skeptical when I read about them, I must say that I really liked what they did on stage. So, I was pretty curious about what the new EP Mortuus Est I can offer to the world. Well, the first song 'Schlachthaus' (which means “Slaughterhouse” in English) starts with some death metal riffs that would have been quite popular at the end of the 90s when Gorefest did “Erase” and stuff like that. Very hardcore influenced, so to speak. But hey, that sounds quite groovy and cool. But suddenly there comes a break in the song and it turns into a totally different direction – traditional Swedish melo-death. Together with the hateful German lyrics, it is quite an entertaining song with a lot of catchy elements. 'Aus Der Erde' is a much faster song with a lot of Swedish death metal vibes. The guitars sound a lot like old Dismember / Entombed and the drums are very pummeling and straightforward. This one is a really cool death metal killer that you won't find anything wrong with. Again the German lyrics sound pretty sick and sinister, quite matching to the topic about zombies. 'Pandemie' sounds like a homage to mid-90s Atrocity in a certain way. Especially the vocals sound like Krull on “Willenkraft” – super guttural and deep. Sometimes the drums go more into some kind of brutal death metal (concerning the pace) but then again, the song turns out super melodic with these aforementioned Swedish influences. 'Mehr Hass 2024' is a re-recording of the single from 2021 and I cannot find too many differences to that short, hateful track which is very groovy. Maybe the sound is a little bit more powerful and strong but that's all. I guess the guys just wanted to have it on that EP because back then it was just released as a digital single. The title track however is something totally different from the rest of the songs and from what the band did so far. Spoken words and a gloomy piano initiate that satanic invocation, and when it comes to the guitars and drums, they are quite dragging and dark. Apart from that Mortuus Est I is more of a repetitive chant without any bridges or breaks.

If you are interested in the German death metal scene (and German lyrics aren't a no-go for you), Torment Of Souls is worth checking because they don't sound generic or uninteresting in any way on the new EP. I hope that they will get more attention in the future because they really deserve it!

Rating: 8 out of 10