UMUR "Wounds Deeper than Time" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, Wisconsin based death metal act Morta Skuld. The album was released through Peaceville Records in February 2017. Morta Skuld disbanded in 1998 after the release of their fourth full-length studio album "Surface (1997)" and "Wounds Deeper than Time" is therefore the band´s first album release in 19 years and the first since they reunited in 2012. They did however release the "Serving Two Masters" EP in 2014. There have been quite a few lineup changes since the release of "Surface (1997)" and it´s only lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Gregor who remains from the lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically the music on "Wounds Deeper than Time" is mid-paced and heavy US death metal. It´s technically well played and well produced too (the production is in the clean and detailed end of the spectrum), but the songwriting is not especially exciting, although there isn´t anything of bad quality here. It´s all just a bit generic and not particularly memorable, which is also exactly how I remember Morta Skuld´s releases from their original run. Call it second tier US death metal or something along the lines of that, the fact is hundreds of similar styled and equal quality US death metal artists exist, who didn´t/or haven´t made much of a mark, because their songwriting just isn´t up to par with the top tier artists of the genre.

Upon conclusion I may have been a bit harsh in my statements above because "Wounds Deeper than Time" is still a decent quality death metal release. It´s just not a standout release on the scene but taking all elements which make up the album into consideration (production, musicianship, and songwriting) a 3 star (60%) rating is still warranted.