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Mortician: Titans

Traditional Heavy Metal

3.0/5.0

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Pure Underground Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 15.04.2020 | Released: 17.04.2020

Missing in action for six years, Austria's Mortician has finally found their way back to the studio. Titans, their latest and third long-player, arrives with new German lead vocalist Twain Cooper, also known for his work with Highway Killer and Saintsbleed.

Mortician

With that bit of housekeeping done, perhaps we should reintroduce Mortician and their metal ways for the initiate or those who have forgotten them. Since forming in 1983, then dissolving in 1990, but recently reborn in 2009, Mortician has always played traditional heavy metal, with roots in the NWoBHM, and bumped up with speed metal.

The Mortician musical formula is rather simple: launch a song with powerful drumming and roaring riffs, ramp up the speed, and then race to the guitar solo or solos. You'll hear this arrangement with Spiral Of Death (nice bass in the latter third), Inmates, or Hell Raiders. For Rat Lines, guitarist Tommy Lee Metzler leads with his fret board with a sharper guitar start before the speed metal kicks in. Within the following song, Screamer, you get a double dose of Metzler with guitar solos in the front and back halves of the tune. While these songs refresh the memory of classic metal, Rebel Heart and Can't Stop Rock n Roll reminds the headbanger that infusing a solid rock beat gives heavy metal some true groove. Above all these things is vocalist Twain Cooper whose voice ranges from assertive (Inmates) to raw (Screamer) to death/dirty screamo (Spiral Of Death). To these ears, in the vocal department, Mortician didn't raise the bar in their music, perhaps even lowered it. Nevertheless, with Titans, Austria's Mortician offers another substantial platter of their speedy traditional heavy metal.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

With Titans, Austria's Mortician offers another substantial platter of their speedy traditional heavy metal.

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The Powell Payne project, created in 2022 is the collaboration of Mark "Penfold Powell (ex-drummer of Psycho Kiss) and Adam Payne (former vocalist of Airrace). With guitarist Adam Davies and keyboard player ... [ Read More ]