March 22, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Morten Veland has begun his life anew, following his exits from both Tristania and Sirenia, with his latest effort, a project called Mortemia. The debut CD is called Misere Mortem, and it’s a very typical beginning. The gothic bombastic musicianship that has been all the rage for the last decade or so is still here, intermixed with some interesting segue ways between, but for my ears it’s nothing I haven’t heard a thousand times already.

As I say, it’s interesting, no doubt, with some really fine musicianship from Veland; I’ve long admired him for his ability to create a true gothic feel with the best of them. There are tracks like “The Eye of the Storm” that capture the overall feel of what gothic metal is really supposed to relay, and believe me very few bands are doing that effectively anymore. To be honest, the choir parts of the music interest me far more than the extreme vocal delivery, simply because the extreme vocals over heavy-handed keyboards and the aforementioned bombastic wall of sound are just too dated for my tastes. Think Children of Bodom, Tristania, and a host of other bands not even worth mentioning and you have the blueprint for gothic metal music. Once it hit the malls it became its own illegitimate child, and the sound is too typical to find relevant anymore.

Again, with tracks like “The Malice of Life’s Cruel Ways,” which are small scenic voyages, there’s true moments of intensity and interest, but overall the tracks sound like the same-old, same-old in terms of actually picking out this disc and finding it redeemed over all others. That’s simply not going to happen. Veland might have the lineage for such musical style, but it’s not as vibrant or indicative as it was some fifteen years ago.

Of course the production is crisp, virtually flawless, creating the large epic operatic event that most of these CDs are wont to do. There are absolutely no complaints there, so for your dollar you get much of the same in both music and quality. I only wish more could be said about it in a somewhat brighter light.

For the fan of gothic metal with the large sound, especially fans of Sirenia and Tristania, you’ll need this as an added complement to your arsenal. However, if you’re stuck in a rut in terms of the stagnation of said style, then maybe digging out the old Nightwish stock might be time better spent, depending on your general preference. A very good effort, and if not for the drowning of similar sounds all over the place, it would be a must-have.

Release Date: February 24, 2010
Label: Napalm Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The One I Once Was
2.  The Pain Infernal and the
      Fall Eternal
3.  The Eye of the Storm
4.  The Malice of Life's Cruel Ways
5.  The Wheel of Fire
6.  The Chains That Weild My Mind
7.  The New Desire
8.  The Vile Bringer of Self-
      Destructive Thoughts
9.  The Candle at the Tunnel's End

Total playing time:  40:34

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Mortemia - Misere Mortem