Quite an excellent mCD. Mortuary Drape have been around for quite a while (since 1984 or so), but have remained a fairly well kept secret. I've only ever heard a couple of other releases by them, so I'm not really sure if this mCD is a particularly good representation of their overall sound, but it did have the "occult aura" that I have always associated with them. Closest (musical) parallels I could draw would be perhaps to Necromantia or early Rotting Christ (sans the aggressiveness). This is mostly mid paced in speed, with a very sparse sound and an emphasis on mood - something Mortuary Drape conjure up very well (that "occult aura" I mentioned earlier). Guitars are pretty clean by metal standards (lots of reverb, not a lot of crunch), the bass tends to crawl to the forefront in a lot of places (probably why I get the "Necromantia" feel from them - even though (in all fairness) Mortuary Drape have been doing this far much longer than their Greek counterparts)...vocals are very reminiscent of a toned down Rotting Christ (circa NON SERVIAM) and fit in very nicely. Overall, a very worthwhile purchase for those who like their black/occult metal done in an interesting and diverse fashion

© 1999 chorazaim