Conor Fynes 'De contemplanda Morte; De Reverencie laboribus ac Adorationis' - Mortuus (8/10)

When a band's lyrical content is listed on Metal Archives as "spiritual death-worship", it comes as little surprise that Mortuus would create some invariably dark music. It's virtually taken for granted that black metal is far removed from sunshine, lollypops and PBS programming, but Mortuus- among others- amp up the sense of atmosphere by expanding past the three chord canon of the style. As even implied by the looming presence of the album name, the verbosely titled 'De contemplanda Morte; De Reverencie laboribus ac Adorationis' is an Orthodox dive into a very gloomy place.

'De Contemplanda Morte' is the first full-length effort of Mortuus', yet it is clear that they have already pinpointed where they want to go with their sound, and even how to get there. The first band I likened Mortuus to was Deathspell Omega, albeit with a less wacky and technical approach. Mortuus expand past the typical black metal mold, but there are few elements of sound that lay beyond its borders. They take a less aggressive approach to conjuring darkness, generally sticking to a slower, or mid-tempo pace, and only occasionally letting loose the infamous tremolo picking. The vocals are similar to the rest of the sound in the respect that there is a great passive aggression to them; things are rarely intense from a conventional perspective in the vocal delivery, but there is the underlying sense of darkness and a sincerity to the lyrical matter that keeps it interesting.

What I think truly highlights Mortuus and 'De Contemplanda Morte' is actually the production. The sound here is very clean and clear, and while that is often a recipe for boredom within the context of black metal, the meticulous attention to detail and nuance would have been lost if it had been given a kult gutter recording. Mortuus are greatly devoted to a sense of dark ambiance and atmosphere in their music, and though the riffs and otherwise 'conventional' metal instrumentation is done well, there's a greater deal to appreciate in the details that are less obvious. Much like Deathspell, Mortuus uses periods of quiet ambiance to build a feeling of tension. Here, it's as if the production opens up to take in sound from 360 degrees. By the time the eerieness has hit an uncomfortable peak, the guitars and anguished rasps return.

Although Mortuus are not outwardly experimental with their sound, 'De Contemplanda Morte' is a challenging black metal album, and even after giving it more listens than I offer most metal records I come across, it's sometimes difficult to really 'get into' what Mortuus are doing here. They maintain an appropriately morbid sound throughout, and unless a listener is dedicated to letting that brand of atmosphere sink in, the music may come off as uneventful. 'De Contemplanda Morte' is a tricky chest to unlock, but there's a wealth of dark expression to experience once it clicks.