The dead arise again, as corpse dwellers Deceased return to obliterate all senses through another studio record for Children of the Morgue. These musicians continually deliver metal from the heart – the infusion of a death / thrash platform with aspects of classic/traditional hooks as well as horror / soundtrack haunting atmosphere spots embraces a passionate evolution to the genre that endures for over forty years. Even if the wait seems long (Ghostly White previously appearing in 2018, followed by two cover-oriented records issued during the pandemic), expect the band to take you on a long journey through tales of the many arteries of death through twelve tracks that inspire, shock and awe all at various times.
The songs twist in dimensions that could be very Voidvod-ish or Queensrÿche-like one measure, only to become very intense, heavy and chaotic the next – King Fowley’s vocals mirror the storylines with anguish, despair, and evil roars/screams to punctuate key verses or choruses. The opening “Destination: Morgue” instrumental keeps the ears pinned, through the doom-like riffs next to the circular tremolo/harmony guitar run as the drums beat in tribal ways – setting the stage for the speedy title track. This eight-minute epic runs roughshod between its vicious musical charge, mid-tempo hook transition, the Maiden-esque epic progressive instrumental flurry, along with a simple, beat your brains in chorus, new drummer Amos Rifkin battering his kit to oblivion. And so the songs flow, smartly placed interludes / prologues that include and acoustic, breezy “Skull With a Vacant Stare” or keyboard-laden funeral-oriented “The Uninvited Dirge”, setting the next heavy main cut up in hypnotic, swivel your head or fists to painful measure capacities. Tasty guitar riffs beyond supplemental layers of brilliant, emotive lead passages put Mike Smith and Shane Fuegel at the top of the metal duos, always servicing the needs of a song first between the sinister cut to the chase action or tradeoffs through “The Gravedigger” or heads down pummeling next to oddly shaped clean accents put forth during “Brooding Lament”.
Most listeners will not feel like this record extends itself too long even with the numerous seven to almost nine-minute songs on display for Children of the Morgue. That’s a testament to maturity, experience, and solid arrangement / writing skills in capable hands as we have here for Deceased. The push forward for death / thrash metal done from a purity perspective makes the longevity appeal to this effort increase exponentially – and could very well rank up there with Fearless Undead Machines or Surreal Overdose as the best in this band’s deep discography.