It’s been quite an eventful year for the Municipal Waste-verse. After nearly 20 years of bong-huffing buffoonery, Cannabis Corpse called it a day. Iron Reagan announced their return following a half-decade hiatus, which kicks off at next year’s edition of Milwaukee Metal Fest. Oh yeah, and Morbikon, the best most compelling of these side quests for my money, have returned with their sophomore album, Lost Within the Astral Crypts. Although I missed reviewing their debut, 2022’s Ov Mournful Twilight, upon its release, I discovered it not long after and was immediately hooked. I didn’t think bassist Phil “Landphil” Hall had a ’90s black-thrash worship album in him, but he did, and a damn strong one at that.
In the years to follow, I caught the band live twice, and was impressed by not just how well they were able to execute their music live, but by the ancient, chaotic, Absu-esque energy they conjured with each ritual, I mean, performance. I get it: Perpetually cosplaying as a 16 year old and bashing out mindless odes to thrashing around and chugging beer pays the bills. But this? This was far more fulfilling musically than anything that’d ever been released under the Waste moniker, I mean that with the utmost respect to Mr. Landphil himself. It’s all the more reason why, ahead of Lost Within the Astral Crypt, my expectations were rather high. Unfortunately, this album only meets them halfway.
Overall, Lost Within is a far more straightforward, orthodox black metal release proper than a black-thrash hybrid, which is where the problems begin. I’ve noticed this happening more and more frequently as of late with blackened thrash/speed bands. While some make it work, many fall short, the reason plainly being this: Second wave black metal, at its core, is VERY one-note and repetitive. Sorry kvlt nerds, but nothing Mayhem ever did will touch the majesty of say ’80s Bathory or Tormentor or early Sodom. In the case of Morbikon, their main point of reference on this release seems to be Dissection, and I must say that there are far worse bands they could’ve chosen to ape. In fact, the first half of the album is quite enjoyable Dissection worship.
The one-two punch of “Heavens That Burn and Eons Divided” and “Unending Legions of Bael” certainly boast riffage, melodies, and atmosphere straight off Storm of the Light’s Bane, and my choice cut, “Flames That Blind and Shadows Cast”, nails that esoteric Absu black-thrash soul-rape that dominated the first album. It’s upon the arrival of Lost Within‘s back half that things grow drab. I understand the intent of eerie, doom-laden cuts like “Sworn to their Beheaded King” and “Masters of Eternal Night”, which do their darndest to channel the primal unease of early Samael, but man, I’m just not feeling it. Another Absu-tinged flirtation in “Ghoul Infested Mausoleum” save this release from the ring of hell that is utter mediocrity, but all in all, I’m left empty and malcontent in comparison to its predecessor.
Lost Within the Astral Crypts gets lost in its own delusions of grandeur, falling victim to the same old, same old Scandinavian second wave tropes that have pigeonholed this genre for the better part of 35 years. If you took the first half and “Ghoul Infested Mausoleum”, you’d have a highly enjoyable EP that would still fall short of the debut album, but at least come off as a more cohesive listen. Instead, we’re confronted with an album that is, at its best, good: Nothing more, nothing less. Hopefully a third full length sees the band finding themselves again.
6 out of 10
Label: Tankcrimes
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
For fans of: Dissection, Immortal, Absu