Blood Mortized-The Key To A Black Heart

Just like many bands these days, Blood Mortized follow the favoured trends of Swedeath though I think it would be safe to say that their style slightly differs from any typical Swedeath sound. Because the band includes ex-members of Amon Amarth or Crypt Of Kerberos, slightly varied styles blazon at times on top of the straightforward Swedeath influence. Different this may be, but it's not always such a great trait to attain. The band sometimes experiments with unnecessary sounds,displaying experimantal and melodic styles, which frankly are a bit unusual and don't compliment the music in an excellent way. Though overall the music hits hard and even tends to become rather blackish at times.

Firstly let me point out that Blood Mortized don't play some of the most aggressive Swedeath around, and their style leans towards more experimental sounds usually. There is a number of good, hard-hitting riffage, which are solidly constructed but the band likes to try experimental guitar tones and randomly decorate the riffs with them, which can create a different experience for the listener. One thing that I certainly approved is the atmopshere. It lingers for the whole of the album, even though at times its density isn't as inundating as other moments. The atmopshere follows the riffs everywhere, whether it be weak of prevalent, its always there, and I think the experimentation really helps the atmosphere build up to its best. Clearly Blood Mortized are more influenced by the more moody and depressing tendencies of the sub-genre, thus they have forfeited most of the raw and vicious attitude that is much common is Swedish death metal. These stylings hace no doubt created something less derivative than the currently followed trends, but the question is, does this change always bring up notably healthy results? The question deviates in different people as all have different opinions, but in my humble opinion, for the most part experimentation enables the album fresh.

Despite the relative change in sound, the alnum can definetely conjure some hulking riffs, particularly thrashy and even showing glimpses of technical prowess. ''To Murder A God'' and ''Unleashing The Hounds'' are build principally on this furmula, with little flourishment and more concentration on the solidity of the riffs, to give out vicious waves of crushing Swedeath monstrosity. Towards the album's conclusion, the riffs attain more black metal influence and epic tendencies than they've ever had. ''Shadow Of The Quater Sun'' is a good mash up of moody black metal and straight up death metal attributes, which were seen quite frequently on the previous tracks. While the songs are at striking speed, one cannot avoid the the feeling of depression and the overwhelming atmopshere ranging over the riffs. The musicianship is there, the technical prowess and the experimentation done to stray from the usual path. ''The Key To A Black Heart'' is not for everyone, because of its peculiar oddity and urgent tendency to commonly deviate from sounds that are more extensive.

Highlights:
Doomsday Architect
Dead & Rotten
To Murder A God

Rating: 85%