Mortualia – Wild, Wild Misery (2016)

Completely worth the wait, today we have Shatraug’s Mortualia’s latest album, “Wild, Wild Misery”, after a wait of six years. Delivering eight completely punishing Depressive Black Metal anthems, this is one of those releases that makes you feel completely powerless and yet totally addicted to it.

Opening with blast beats of “Withdrawn”, this release kicks off in style as it sets into a very dissonant and oppressive atmospheric masterpiece. The riffs make up a very melodic component of Mortualia’s music, as we can hear in the superbly catchy opening of “Return to Silence”. Helming bands like Horna and Sargeist, Shatraug bleeds some of those influences on songs like “Out” and “Stolid”, but with the added Doom influences, making the music slow and very excruciating… in the best of ways.

Focusing on crafting oppressive riffs, “Emptiness of All” and “Wild, Wild Misery” are two of the bleakest songs every written. The shrieks of pain perfectly fit the overall sludgy tempo of such raw and demoralizing tracks. We also enjoy the catchiness of songs like “To Which Ever End” which allow for some heavy duty headbanging. Not needing any gimmicks or fancy elements, the songs in this release get under your skin very effectively.

As the throbbing bass guitar line of “Nothing is a given” serenades you into submission, this release will leave a very lasting impression on the listener. Delivering nearly 60 minutes of brilliant music, Mortualia manages to perfectly transfer grief stricken sentiments with their raw and merciless music. If you like Depressive Black Metal but want something raw and punishing that is extremely organic in nature, look no further and get a copy of “Wild, Wild Misery”.

Label: Moribund Records

Release: November 25th, 2016

Genre: Depressive Black Metal

Country: Finland