Morbid - Ancient Morbidity EP

Morbid was a Swedish death metal outfit that produced a total of three demos in its existence, the gem being 1987’s December Moon, which featured Per Yngve Ohlin, otherwise known to the underground contingency as “Dead”. He was later made famous by joining Norway’s Mayhem in 1989, only to be immortalized forever through a post-mortem photograph taken by Mayhem’s then-guitarist who found Ohlin after his 1991 suicide. Since then numerous bootlegs of the band’s small output have drenched the scene, but it took Metalion of Norway’s infamous Slayer fanzine to get together with Nuclear War Now! and set the mantle straight.

Ancient Morbidity is short and sticky, much like Morbid’s tenure in the death metal sphere; it’s literally 13-minutes of a rehearsal from 1987, three songs that showcase that Morbid was, indeed, a band that could have been much more than what they are. While barely a footnote in the Scandinavian book of metal, Morbid was a high-energy assault on the senses, producing some of Ohlin’s finer vocals. As much as it might anger and confuse the Mayhem fanatics too young to have been into the band during its true tenure, or too engrossed in the legend over the music, Live in Leipzig was, at best, mediocre in showcasing what it was Ohlin was capable of doing. His true resonance is in the four tracks on the December Moon effort. The era is represented in the antiquity and egregious primitiveness of the recording. rehearsal tracks of pure reckless abandon that are surprisingly good quality, though far from perfect. The live track is “Necrodead”, a blistering battering of death metal goodness that can be truly appreciated by fans of the unpolished underworld. It’s from the band’s first gig and has never been available anywhere until now. Granted, this band is far from original or even overly memorable, but “Wings of Funeral” is one of the better Morbid tracks recorded and showcases what I think is a much more impressive offering than Ohlin’s brief stint in Mayhem.

This EP might be solely for the collector in us, sure, but it also serves as a nice precursor to what’s coming in April. While the original demo has been pimped to death since 1995, this year will see a 2XCD, 3XLP set titled Year of the Goat. It houses the December Moon demo with “Dead” at the helm, as well as three live sets from three different Swedish halls in 1987. It’s sure to satiate the salivating few among us who think it’s the proper time to get Morbid’s music out there, legally and with the band’s full support. Until then, this 12” comes with some really cool artwork by Ohlin that was supposed to be the artwork for other Morbid projects while he split time between Mayhem and Morbid. Alas, it wasn’t to be, but the record also comes with an insert of more drawings by Ohlin. All in all it’s a nice, albeit basic offering

For the fan and curious party interested in the band for music’s sake, not some tired, bloody photograph of a depressed man’s end, try grabbing this gem. It’s limited to 2,000 copies, but some are still out there to be had for a very reasonable price. It comes as part of Slayer Mag’s 20^th and final issue and is a fine tribute overall.

Release Date: December 27, 2010
Label: Nuclear War Now
Productions

TRACK LISTING

1.  Tragic Dream/From the Dark
2.  Wings of Funeral
3.  Necrodead (Live)

Total playing time:  13:17

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Chris

February 1, 2011