Morbid Breath – In the Hand of the Reaper (Review)

Sweden is often associated with Death Metal. However, with Morbid Breath a band is waiting in the wings, which is oriented to a completely different genre. We’re talking about Thrash Metal here, a lot of 80s nostalgia, coupled with a preference for US greats like Slayer and Metallica. In addition, something refined with Sodom and Kreator and you get the sound of Morbid Breath.

The quartet will soon release their debut EP In the Hand of the Reaper via Redefining Darkness Records. There are five tracks to listen to on this one. With a running time of 20 minutes, no eye will remain dry. As already mentioned, the sound of the band is strongly oriented towards US and Teutonic Thrash bands. The vocals sound like Tom Angelripper at his best, raw and venomous while the guitar only is tuned to “Kill them All”. Main riffs such as can be heard on “Hell Bringer” or “Beneath the Graves” literally burn themselves into the brain. In general, the riffs form an important foundation for the EP. It almost seems like a framework, as the aforementioned songs start directly with it and flash again at the end. The song structure is not highly complex, on the contrary. But just this structure makes these two songs real earworms. “Ancient Beats” clearly shows how much the Swedes are into German Thrash. The track seems like an homage to the Teutonic gods called Sodom and Kreator.

The drumming is more aggressive than any tank and overruns everything. The solos are also perfectly timed and have a slight Heavy Metal feel to them. Unfortunately, the bass sometimes gets a little lost in the mix. On “Death Trap”, however, it appears all the more and delivers immediately. A nasty break here directly invites to mosh. There is hardly a more worthy conclusion than a bestial “It’s time to die” at the end. This is only topped by the sadistic laughter, which then ends the EP.

Morbid Breath deliver a strong debut with In the Hand of the Reaper. The Thrash mix of Metallica and Sodom knows how to convince. Some riffs, paired with the rough voice of the singer will definitely stay in my memory. I hope that the Swedes will deliver more output in a shorter time, because Morbid Breath makes appetite for more!

8 / 10