Mortuus Caelum - Ventus Infesto (2007)

Another year, another Latin-titled black metal album for Mortuus Caelum, with no progress expected and none delivered. To be blunt, the plane between Ventus Infesto and predecessor Macto Interitum Mundi is so damned level that you could place a soccer ball upon it and it would not know which direction to roll. It would sit entirely still and scratch itself in frustration. But for those addicts who are forever enraptured to the basic underlying principles of the genre, it once again might just be enough to slide past into mediocrity. The nail that never deigns to stand out will never be hammered down, after all, so those seeking another average approximation of Darkthrone, Mayhem, Bathory and their ilk probably wouldn't turn up their nose at this.

I just found it immediately bland, saturated with derivative and unsurprising riff patterns that are so indistinct that the minor touches on the album, like the percussive smashing in "Cruentus Flumen Di Vita" and the bridge of "Unbridled Decay", or the acoustic break in the title track, seem to snap the listener right out of the almost hypnotic lack of direction. The plunking of the bass guitar and the bruised rasp of the vocals both hammer along with some consistency, and yet there is nothing internally distinct about any of this. It feel so laconic and unassuming in its execution, almost as if it were being written to meet a black metal quota. The longer songs "The Conquest" and "Extolment of Darkness", both of which hover about 10 minutes in length, take a few more chances than the rest, but despite their added variation they seem uninteresting and unwilling to end.

The best I can really say for Ventus Infesto is that the band is tight at what they do, and the production , if dull, is at least pretty clean and comprehensible. But the vocals, drums and overall composition is all too forgettable but when you can spin nearly any album from the initial 'Golden Age' of black metal (early through mid 90s) and come away feeling more satisfied. Had these Greeks even incorporated more atmosphere throughout the tunes, whether that be through samples, synthesizers or whatever, it might have proven a more worthwhile experience, but ultimately this one just gets too easily lost in the mountainous accumulation of its peers.

Verdict: Indifference [5.75/10]

Mortuus Caelum - Macto Interitum Mundi (2006)

Macto Interitum Mundi is one of those bustling, business-as-usual black metal efforts which is likely to appeal only to those who aren't tired to death with the underlying concepts of the genre. As often as not, the formula seems to suffice, and while I can't credit Mortuus Caelum with having created some cult conquest upon their debut, the Greeks seem simple and sincere enough that fans of the lesser produced, tremolo driven grimness might seek not to let it slip their attentions. There is definitely an encompassing of the atmospheres so potent in Transilvanian Hunger, De Mysteriis dom Sathanas, and Det Some Engang Var: the riffs drive the music, the drums and hoarse rasping are kept very level in the mix, and you get this overall mid-frequency through its organic, crashing tumult.

A suitable dark ambient intro ("Uncreated Existence") and a more harrowing, ambient interlude complete with percussion and screaming ("Deep Nostalgia") are pretty much the only breaks in the grimy, blasphemous action. The rest of the record moves at a streamlined, blasting pace that relies heavily on its guitars to produce both momentum and memorable patterns. Some of the songs succeed in this endeavor far more than others. "Segregate World", for example, operates through a straightforward tremolo rhythm which seems like one of the first things anyone would produce when first delving into the medium on the instrument; but it functions, where other pieces like "Holocaust Divine", "Burning the Astral Winds" and "Under the Crown of Sin" all seem to blend together into a mosaic of conventions. Not that they're necessarily bad, any of them, but it's just so much easier to pick out "The Glorious Battalion" or the swaggering intro gait of "Genitive Loathing" for at least getting the blood up for a moment or so.

It's exactly what you expect when you pick up an underground black metal album, from it's black and white imagery of a crumbling fortification wall, standard if cool looking logo and title font to the actual breadth of the music. The vocals are mediocre if efficient, never quite that evil, but totally within the confines of the form. I mentioned that the mix of the instruments was very level here, and I actually do admire that the band were able to get consistent results from what is a pretty lo-fi recording. You won't be tearing out your ears listening to this, but it feels as if it could be entirely reproduced by listening in on a rehearsal session (nothing wrong with that). In the end, though, Macto Interitum Mundi's Latin-scripted debut is neither paradigm shifting or foundation shaking enough to forgive its admittedly average writing for its sense of purism. I've heard far worse. I've heard far better.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]