Mr. Death - Death Suits You (2010)

Featuring two members of the original Tiamat, Mr. Death hails from Sweden and it’s ready to blow you away with their super catchy horror-inspired Death Metal. Featuring a very traditional yet effective approach to Death Metal, “Death Suits You” is an album that will remind you of the days when DM was never overly technical and over produced.

The band’s musical foundation lies with very catchy riffs and intense drumming that are landmarks of the genre. The tempo changes in the songs are another very solid element of this band’s sound and allow them to never get dull or (too) repetitive. Featuring such experienced musicians, Mr. Death has quickly gathered a following of DM fans and it’s easily understandable since their music is very powerful and effective.

Besides the brilliant guitar work, the drumming on this EP deserves notice since it’s very precise and never pretentious. The mix of the album allows it to shine, but never overpower the rest of the elements. The bass guitar is pounding from beginning to end and it greatly blends with the overall pace and aggressiveness of this release. Vocals wise, the band sounds a lot like some of the old school Swedish bands, since the growls are not too deep, but they are powerful enough to make your speakers tremble.

Songs like “Curse of The Masses” and “Strandead” are your quintessential DM songs that feature the chugging riffing, hyper-fast drumming, slowdowns and the constant barking of the vocalist. If you are a purist of the genre, you will greatly enjoy this release since it’s almost 100% by the book. Our favorite songs are “March To The Dark” and “Celestial Suffering” because they show the full strength of the band in creating a crushing atmosphere and keeping the intensity through the song without getting dull.

One thing that we think would have improved “Death Suits You” is the use of horror/splatter film sound bites, just to get the music that extra edge and make the songs feel a bit more authentic. Not that we are saying that Mr. Death’s music gets dull, but we would have preferred to have some more elements to work with.  But in overall, “Death Suits You” is a very crushing DM release that will surely grab the attention of any fan of the genre, and this band will surely become bigger and better with time.

Release: October 26th, 2010

Country: Sweden