Mortalis are a thrash metal band from the USA formed in 2016, releasing their debut album ‘From The Cryogenics’ in 2021.
Inspired by the giants of metal such as Diamond Head, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Annihilator, and the Big 4 of thrash (Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer – for (and surely not) anyone who doesn’t already know who they are), Mortalis release their debut album stacked to the rafters with thrash based traditional heavy metal. Twelve songs over a run time of one hour is a weighty offering and one that will keep your headbanging from start to finish. But not for the first ninety seconds though, as album opener ‘Corruption Of Power’, slow burns to a crescendo, and then with some abrasive riffing sparks into life, becoming a thundering avalanche of traditional metal come thrash. And then with a menacing intro, ‘Insanity’ creeps into life before letting rip at full throttle to settle into the melodic thrash style of bands such as Annihilator and Death Angel. Very head bang-able and addictive, ‘Insanity’ has a huge old school flavour emanating from every riff, thump and twang – which is fucking great for an old school metaller like myself!
Cranking up the pace, the band hit the realms of high velocity with ‘Mark Of Shame’ – a lumbering thunderstorm of aggression fuelled thrash. Mortalis, blending traditional metal with thrash like it’s the most natural thing in the world, are beginning to get into their stride now, delivering an incredible headbanger with ‘Mark Of Shame’. With a more savage pounding, ‘Say What You Mean’ will literally smack you round the head with a force that’ll definitely leave a mark – the band slowly getting heavier and more aggressive as ‘From The Cryogenics’ progresses. And now for a new anthem that every single metalhead around the world can get behind – ‘The Metal Way’. And with lines like “Can you hear the metal, a quick rush to the head, Louder and faster, I’ll thrash till I’m dead” and “live the life, the only life, live the metal way” delivering a rabble-rousing call to arms, Mortalis have a concert crowd-pleaser in their hands.
Hitting hard and very heavily, the band emulate one of their inspirations with the ferocious ‘Taking Back Control’. Delivered at the fastest pace the album has achieved so far, ‘Taking Back Control’ is a fiery early eighties Metallica inspired gallop. Think back to ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (the 1983 debut album by Metallica) and you’ll get some idea of how ‘Taking Back Control’ sounds. The one minute ‘Blue Moon’ is an effects-laden mellow instrumental lead into the fierce ‘War Never Changes’. The thundering rhythm is at full tilt with a cracking “heavy metal” style guitar sound – the band showing more and more the influence that Metallica had on their chosen musical direction. And as the album enters its final third, thrash metal rises higher to the surface than traditional metal, with ‘G.A.M.E.’ setting a bruising pace. The more savage side of the band really coming to the fore with some serious neck-breaking thrash.
At six and a half minutes in length, ‘Killshot’ is the longest song on offer, and maintains the albums recent fiercer thrash direction. In fact, ‘Killshot’ is probably the fastest song heard so far, blazing a fiery trail across the land, leaving only scorch marks in its wake. The worldwide mosh pits are gonna love this one. And the breathless pace doesn’t stop there either – ‘Radioactive Decay’ moving forward like the iconic Motorhead punk rock rattle. You know the rattle I mean, the meld of metal with rock ‘n’ roll. And as the album heads for the final hurrah, Mortalis has travelled all over the thrash metal genre to bring a diversity of thrash that’s gonna appeal to a wide array of fans. So, the final song, and a title you would never ever remotely associate with thrash, ‘Butterflies’… But don’t let the image of one of the worlds most brightly coloured and very appealing creatures distract you from the barrage of savagery that you’re about to undergo. For ‘Butterflies’ is a crushing cacophony of raucous thrash, a fitting end to a very good album of melodic thrash layered with traditional heavy metal.
Overall, an hour of melodic thrash metal, full of energy and pace to keep your headbanging from start to finish.
TRACKLIST
Corruption Of Power
Insanity
Mark Of Shame
Say What You Mean
The Metal Way
Taking Back Control
Blue Moon
War Never Changes
G.A.M.E.
Killshot
Radioactive Decay
Butterflies
Mortalis: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
