Morta Skuld - For All Eternity (1995)

While they've never been numbered among the most legendary US death metal acts, one can make a solid case for the earlier works of Wisconsin's Morta Skuld as minor Midwest 90s cult classics, in particular the debut Dying Remains, which at its best was almost capable of going toe to toe with some of its Floridian forebears of around the same period. With the four full-lengths they released from '93-'97, however, there was a fairly steady, if not immediate decline in them writing much of interest, which bottomed out on the album Surface, upon which mediocrity was finally achieved. For All Eternity, their third album, and their first with UK's Peaceville Records, shows that there was still a little bit of fight left, a number of riffs that were clearly winners wedged among some that weren't.

I liken their style on this one to a heavier take on Chuck Schuldiner's Death, primarily the sense of pacing; or perhaps a few pages torn from the Obituary sophomore Cause of Death, or the first few Gorguts discs. The focus is on slower, heavy grooves, but keeping them dynamic and interesting, with some nice tremolo picked patterns and no tendency whatsoever to dwell on anything that might border on boring. Once in awhile they break out into a faster pattern, but they are all about keeping this thing heavy and really fleshing out all those chugging palm mute patterns so that they're easy to distinguish from one another. There's also a bit of influence here from more clinical thrash sounds, used in bridges or breakaway sections before they barrel back into some Morbid Angel-like groove. There are clearly a lot of riffs here that don't quite pass muster, but they just keep those breakdowns and tempo shifts rolling along, so the overall bodies of the tracks are well arranged and keep you interested if you dig your death metal plodding and pugilistic without being interminably dull.

The vocals are a gruff growl redolent of the bands I mentioned above, and not the strongest point of the record since they don't vary it up all that much by the lyrical patterns, but still competent enough, and I can't imagine what other style would really match the rhythm guitars. They lack the psychotic edge of a John Tardy, and actually cross a bridge into the more brutal death vocal style that was becoming popular around the same time through groups like Suffocation and Malevolent Creation. The drums here are very tight and groovy, the guitar tune a bit muffled but not as much as some of Scott Burns' worse mixes, and I think it's better produced than As Humanity Fades was, although the riff quality is fairly even on both those records. The cover art is pretty cool, the lyrics are more personal and thoughtful (ala Death) rather than a gorefest, and I'd have to say that if you were out scouring the past for some well-constructed death metal, this one holds up fairly well to this day. If not game-changing or constantly memorable, it's at least capable of filling out its 48 minute length without putting anyone to sleep.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (innocence is over)

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Morta Skuld - Through the Eyes of Death (2011)

Morta Skuld were one of those Midwestern death metal acts in the 90s that felt like they were really developing a scene to rival New York or Florida, but for whatever reason their albums were lost upon a largely saturated audience. They actually achieved some visibility with releases on Peaceville and Pavement, but to be blunt it was the first two records Dying Remains (1993) and As Humanity Fades (1994) that were their best; by the time Surface rolled around in 1997, they'd devolved into some very average riffing that was more of a step backwards and forwards, and that turned out to be their swan song. With Through the Eyes of Death, a compilation being issued through another high priority label (Relapse), we're offered a collection of their 1990 demos which presumably hearken back to those promising, formative years of development.

The best thing about this is that the tracks are not redundant with either of the old albums, so if you don't already OWN the demos, this will in effect seem like a whole other full-length worth of material. The style is definitely a hybrid of thrash and death, with almost as much in common with a Morbid Saint or earlier Sepultura than its overtly obvious Florida influences. For example, "Preacher of Lies" and "Gory Departure" (from the demo of the same name) sounds like something Death or Obituary would have written in the late 80s. The vocals definitely have a tint of John Tardy, Chuck Schuldiner or Kam Lee to them, but on the second demo Prolong the Agony they are more carnal and heavily spattered with effects. In addition, the riffs there seem more punchy sounding, but they still bear a lot of the same influences. I will say, though, that the demos sound pretty clean for their time, and that alone shows a sense for Morta Skuld's professionalism early on.

What's also cool about Through the Eyes of Death is the inclusion of the band's rare Eternal Suffering single which had been recorded for Earache but never saw the light of day. The titular tune definitely has a sluggish, atmospheric sewer/swamp vibe to it akin to Obituary, albeit more technical and varied in its transitions, and there's also a cover of the classic "Metal Church" cut from the better known American band. It's a great song to choose, and one of the earlier examples I can remember of a band applying the guttural vocals to pure heavy/speed metal, but it did feel a bit flat in spots.

That said, even if I don't quite enjoy the content here as much as Dying Remains, this is pretty much what you want out of a fan compilation. The tunes were tightly written, if not memorable. Unlike that crappy Peaceville release Re-Surface: The Best of Mortal Skuld, this also gives you everything you really want in an orderly, polished fashion, without draining the value of their later studio works, so if you've already got their four full-lengths, the collection is now complete. Non-fans should probably skip this though and make a bee line for the 1993 debut or it's 1994 successor.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

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