Formed in 2020 by guitarist/bassist Phil “Land Phil” Hall (Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, Iron Reagan) and singer Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns (Finntroll, …And Oceans), Morbikon released their debut album, ‘Ov Mournful Twilight’ in 2022. Now they are back with the second with Phil Hall again on bass and vocals, Quotidius and Vreth on vocals, drums by Pierce Williams (Aenigmatum, ex-Skeletal Remains), solos by Blake Hibberd (Unburier), and additional instrumentation by Adam Gilliams (guitar, Cannabis Corpse) and Thomas Saltman (synths).
The cover art may be a little too polished and sanitised, but there is no doubt where these guys musically belong as this is firmly influenced by the second wave of Scandinavian black metal and melodic death metal scenes of the ‘90s and is a load of fun. True, there are times when the guitars feel a little too clean, and I would have preferred the bass to be a bit higher in the mix, but there is no doubt this is a load of fun from beginning to end. The vocals are spot on for the style, while the guitarists can happily move from blackened death into power metal without it sounding cheesy, with the result being something which is going to appeal to fans of many types of metal. They somehow manage to appeal to the extreme crowd who are normally listening to Mayhem or Behemoth but also bring in classic Maiden or even some Helloween, so much so that at times the only reason we are saying ‘black metal’ is due to the vocal style. Hell, they also show they can move into symphonic when they want to!
This album is a blast from beginning to end and given they are not just a studio act but getting out there and making a noise for themselves, I am sure we are going to be hearing a lot more about this band, and rightly so.
Rating: 7/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/morbikon/
https://www.facebook.com/tankcrimes