It was just last year that Italian black metal masters Mortuary Drape returned for the first time in what felt like an eternity with a wicked little EP entitled Wisdom – Vibration – Repent. A 5 song offering of blackened doom with nods to the masters Sabbath and Mercyful Fate, the first thought that crossed my mind was, “Perhaps a full length lurks on the horizon.” Fast forward to November, 2023 and indeed there is a new Mortuary Drape album upon us, their first full length effort in 9 years at that, the ominously titled Black Mirror.
Although only founding frontman Wildness Perversion remains from the band’s founding lineup, his vision of creating the wickedest black metal this side of hell remains ardent as ever, thanks to a backing band of hooded minions who conjure the old school spirit. The writing, performances, and production of Black Mirror are roughly on par with every MD release going back to the Into the Drape EP (1992), which is a relief for purists such as myself. Unlike many of their peers, this isn’t a band who has fallen prey to the traps of soulless modernism and vapid trends.
Whereas Wisdom – Vibration – Repent showcased the doomier side of MD’s musical ambit, Black Mirror revs up the speed with manic outbursts of infernal thrash. I wouldn’t go so far to call this a blackened thrash album, as the songs and spirit are far too rooted in black metal purely. However, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t hints of Sodom and early Celtic Frost on cuts like “The Secret Lost”, “Rattle Breath”, and “Nocturnal Coven”, with their aggressive demeanor and breakneck riffing. No doubt a young Wildness Perversion looked up to these bands as an aspiring metallist, utilizing these tropes and creating something new with them.
When they aren’t laying down fits of black-thrash rage, MD continue to blur the lines between arcane black metal at its earliest and traditional metal romanticism, creating a sound that’s as singular as it is evil. Cuts such as “Restless Death”, “Drowned in Silence”, “Into the Oblivion”, and “Fading Flower Spell” take us on wild, meandering voyages, contrasting midtempo old school metal passages with moments of eerie, unsettling occult metal ambiance from out of this realm. Perhaps most disturbing of all on this album is the attempt at clean vocals on the aforementioned thrasher, “Rattle Breath”. Ronnie James Dio, Wildness Perversion is not. His bloodcurdling cackles make an already scary song even scarier.
While I don’t immediately consider Black Mirror to be a masterpiece on the level of Into the Drape or All the Witches Dance (1994), it is yet another faithful entry into the MD canon: one that stays true to the band’s core ethos and sound. Bridging the gap between Death SS and the Norwegian scene, Mortuary Drape are living, breathing black metal history. Us headbangers of the ’20s should be so lucky to gaze into their Black Mirror in all its horrific glory. All the witches will be dancing to this one.
8 out of 10
Label: Peaceville Records
Genre: Black Metal
For fans of: Root, Varathron, Celtic Frost