Morrath – Centuries of Blindness
Release Date: 20th April 2023
Label: Metal Is the Law Productions/Diabolus Productions
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Suffocation, Krisiun, Cannibal Corpse (Barnes era), Incantation.
Bandcamp
Review By: Andy Spoon
Members of Polish thrash act Prowler have made an effort to branch into the death metal scene, taking notes from the American death metal scene in order to create their second release as Morrath, releasing their LP, Centuries of Blindness on April 20th, 2023. Stating that they’ve taken more influences from grindcore and slam, Centuries of Blindness is meant to be Morrath’s convergence of ideas regarding anti-religious themes and inner-struggle, something that certainly fits the bill for the genre. Only a thorough listen can help listeners decide if the attempt is up to “snuff” or not.
I was immediately impressed with the pace and atmosphere. The American death metal influences are present clearly, as they have likened their work as akin to Barnes-era Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, even Deicide and Suffocation. Pace is everything when trying to create a significant death metal “sound” and one might have a thrashy, speedy attack like Morbid Angel. Conversely, the opposite can be true for bands like Gatecreeper and Blood Incantation. The speed, or pace, of the rhythm section creates an entire dimension of the music which translates across the entirety of the album.
In the case of Morrath, speed is king. It’s easy to hear the thrash influences on each track. New God Exalted, track 4 is an absolute romp, stimulating furious foot tapping and wriggling in my office chair. It reminded me of the “fun” side of death metal, as the furious speed and intensity is incredibly stimulating and engaging. The drums are absolutely a tour de force on the album, with all credit to drummer Milosz Maik, who virtually never lets up. I was enthralled at just how good the drums were recorded and produced. I offer a big thumbs up to the band for the rhythm and pacing. It’s the highlight of the entire project, in my opinion.
Vocally, I was less impressed, as the technique generally sounds the same across the entirety of the album. The timbre and technique heavily reminded me of Deicide or Archspire’s vocals. They don’t vary much up or down the scale, leaving me itching for more. As there were some intense “breakdown” moments on the album (See Primal Addiction), that could have been augmented with a few more vocal features, I wished that vocalist Mateusz Hertmanowski pushed the envelope just a little further, as I think the rest of the delivery from the band was absolutely primo death metal.
Guitars and bass remind me heavily of Suffocation, which makes Centuries of Blindness an absolute banger. Mimicking the style of some of the greats in fast death metal doesn’t make the album have any less value, as the attack is unique enough to avoid being called a copy. However, tracks like Spiral of Pain are definitely derivative of the chunky fury that was prevalent on Suffocation’s As Grace Descends, as an example. I think that Terrance Hobbs would be proud of the wild and furious guitar attack. To make a long thought concise, If you’re a fan of Suffocation, this is NOT an album to miss.
Morrath has seemed to catch almost all of the elements which make a good death metal album. From the howling pinch-harmonic leads, the growling low-pitch vocals, and the headbanging, rhythmic pace that drives the album, Morrath has crafted an LP that should absolutely be considered a bona fide genre-leader for early 2023. Not much can be said other than to boldly claim that Centuries of Blindness is probably one of the better death metal albums I’ve heard all year. If Morrath is Prowler’s attempt at making a death metal album, I’m going to advise that they continue down this path full-time and don’t look back. 
(4.5 / 5)
