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Zobrazují se příspěvky se štítkem#MortalRites. Zobrazit všechny příspěvky
Zobrazují se příspěvky se štítkem#MortalRites. Zobrazit všechny příspěvky

pátek 3. ledna 2025

Recenze/review - MORTAL RITES - Death in Heaven, Life in Hell (2024)


MORTAL RITES - Death in Heaven, Life in Hell
EP 2024, Iron, Blood and Death Corporation

for english please scroll down

Bylo nalezeno další zohavené tělo. Usekané ruce, vyrvané vnitřnosti. Příčina smrti byla ale zcela jiná. Udušení vlastní krví. Pitva nebyla příliš dlouhá, všem bylo jasné, o co jde. Lidé jsou poslední roky příliš zahledění do sebe. Doba nám diktuje dokonalost. Navenek krásní a usměvaví, uvnitř zkažení jako shnilé maso. Sedím tu zrovna v jedné staré kobce a naslouchám zvukům z podzemí. Utíkám sem pokaždé, když mi je těžko na duši, když mi připadá současný svět příliš divný. Dnes bych tu pro vás měl death thrashovou kapelu MORTAL RITES z Quebecu, která mě zaujala nejen svým přístupem.

Ano, jsou to melodie, celková atmosféra nového EP, které mě doslova přikovali k přehrávači. Riffy na mě ihned zapůsobily jako ostré hřeby, které mi kapela postupně zatlouká do hlavy. Ve skladbách lze vystopovat pradávnou sílu, takovou tu těžkou a mokvající energii, kterou mám na extrémním metalu tolik rád. Doporučuji poslouchat hodně nahlas. 


Dnešní doba je skvělá v tom, že se dostanete i k hudbě, která by před vámi jinak byla ukryta. Kdysi dávno, před mnoha lety, jsem si dal soukromý cíl, že podobné smečky jako jsou MORTAL RITES budu podporovat. Pánové se nechali, stejně jako já, ovlivnit legendami jako BOLT THROWER, DEATH, MORBID ANGEL, TESTAMENT. Veškeré tyto vlivy jsou promítnuty i do jejich tvorby. Nenechte se ale mýlit, rozhodně se nejedná o dnes tolik časté kopírování bez duše. Naopak, skladby hoří uvnitř, Kanaďané do vás ihned zaseknou svůj dráp a už vás nepustí. Alespoň takto vnímám jejich nové EP "Death in Heaven, Life in Hell" já, starý metalový pes. Jako vždycky musím zmínit jednu velmi důležitou věc - novinka se opravdu dobře poslouchá. Určitě znáte ty podivné stavy úzkosti, kterým se dnes nevyhne skoro nikdo. Osobně potřebuji hudbu ke svému životu, jako krev. MORTAL RITES mi sedli přesně do mého vkusu. Jedná se o desku, která je po okraj narvaná zajímavými momenty, je žhavá i dynamická zároveň, má parádní zvuk (Recorded, mixed and mastered by Christopher Payeur) i obal (Jean-Philippe Payeur). Zapomenout nesmím ani na texty (o náboženství, válkách, tyranii, i současné prohnilé společnosti), které dávají smysl a dodávají albu na ještě větší uvěřitelnosti. Ano, tohle je ryzí záležitost nejen pro všechny staré fanoušky poctivého metalu. Bylo nalezeno další zohavené tělo. Usekané ruce, vyrvané vnitřnosti. Příčina smrti byla ale zcela jiná. Udušení vlastní krví. Pitva nebyla příliš dlouhá, všem bylo jasné, o co jde. Lidé jsou poslední roky příliš zahledění do sebe. Doba nám diktuje dokonalost. Navenek krásní a usměvaví, uvnitř zkažení jako shnilé maso. Jsem jedním z davu. Starý, poctivý, reálný a uvěřitelný death thrash metal, který vás rozemele na prach! 


Asphyx says:

Another mutilated body was found. Hands chopped off, entrails ripped out. But the cause of death was completely different. Suffocation by his own blood. The autopsy didn't take too long. It was clear to everyone what was going on. People have been too self-absorbed lately. The times dictate perfection. Beautiful and smiling on the outside, rotten as rotten meat on the inside. I'm sitting in an old dungeon, listening to the sounds from underground. I run here whenever I'm feeling heavy, whenever the world seems too strange. Today I would like to bring you a death thrash band from Quebec, MORTAL RITES, which has caught my attention not only because of its approach.

Yes, it's the melodies, the overall vibe of the new EP that literally had me glued to the player. The riffs immediately impressed me like sharp nails that the band is gradually hammering into my head. You can trace an ancient power in the songs, the kind of heavy and swamping energy that I love so much about extreme metal. I recommend listening very loudly. 


What's great about today is that you can access music that would otherwise be hidden from you. Once upon a time, many years ago, I made it a personal goal to support packs like MORTAL RITES. Gentlemen like me have been influenced by legends like BOLT THROWER, DEATH, MORBID ANGEL, TESTAMENT. All these influences are reflected in their work. Make no mistake though, this is definitely not the soulless copying so common today. On the contrary, the songs burn inside, the Canadians immediately sink their claw into you and won't let go. At least this is how I, an old metal dog, perceive their new EP "Death in Heaven, Life in Hell". As always, I have to mention one very important thing - the novelty is really good to listen to. I'm sure you know those strange states of anxiety that almost nobody can avoid nowadays. Personally, I need music for my life, like blood. MORTAL RITES fit my taste exactly. This is a record that is packed to the brim with interesting moments, it is hot and dynamic at the same time, it has a great sound (Recorded, mixed and mastered by Christopher Payeur) and cover (Jean-Philippe Payeur). I must not forget the lyrics (about religion, wars, tyranny, and the current rotten society), which make sense and make the album even more believable. Yes, this is a pure affair not only for all old fans of honest metal. Another mutilated body has been found. Hands chopped off, entrails ripped out. But the cause of death was quite different. Suffocation by his own blood. The autopsy wasn't too long, it was clear to everyone what was going on. People have been too self-absorbed lately. The times dictate perfection. Beautiful and smiling on the outside, rotten as rotten meat on the inside. I'm one of the crowd. Old, honest, real and believable death thrash metal that will grind you to dust!


tracklist:
01. In Thy Glory 
02. Eternity Of Torment 
03. Respite 
04. Cannibalism 
05. Enslaved 
06. Sleight Of Hand



A few questions - interview with death thrash metal band from Canada - MORTAL RITES.


A few questions - interview with death thrash metal band from Canada - MORTAL RITES.

Answered Christopher Payeur (guitars, vocals), thank you!

Ave, can you introduce your band to our readers? – When was it founded and what style of music do you play etc.? 

 Hey, I’m Chris, our band is called Mortal Rites and we’re from the province of Quebec in Canada. The band was founded around the end of 2022, early 2023 and we play death metal with some thrash influences at times. We have released a new EP called ‘’Death In Heaven, Life In Hell’’ about two weeks ago, and we’re excited for people to hear it! As far as musical style goes, I would say we’re definitely closer to more old school death metal bands since we still play in a fairly high tuning (guitar term, usually reminiscent of older bands) and have a lot of thrash-influenced fast parts. I always say that early Death Metal is basically just faster and more aggressive Thrash Metal.


Where and under what conditions were you recording the new album? Who was in charge of sound, production and mastering? 

 Mortal Rites is a completely DIY operation, meaning that we have recorded the EP ourselves with the equipment we had at our disposal. I was in charge of engineering, mixing, mastering and overall production. Drums and vocals were recorded in our rehearsal spaces, and stringed instruments were recorded in my apartment. This EP was the first time that I put ‘’real effort’’ into trying to make a decent sounding production (with all real instruments, too) and I’m happy with the results given the circumstances. There’s always room for improvement and I look forward to recording with the band again to further improve my skills as an engineer.

How many copies were released and which medium was used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)? 

300 physical copies were made (CD) through Iron, Blood & Death Corp, which is the label who’s releasing the EP in physical format and they can be purchased through their Bandcamp page. The digital format of the EP can also be found on the label’s Bandcamp page as well as ours.

Who is the author of the lyrics and how were they created and about what do the lyrics deal with? 

 Jean-Philippe (rhythm guitar) wrote the lyrics on all the songs on the EP. You could interpret the lyrics in different ways, as there are a few metaphors that were used. At first glance, it seems like the lyrics are about the downfall of a kingdom after a long-fought battle but it’s also a way of speaking about more personal things for us like sickness, social movements and how things are not always the way they seem to be. All things that are up close and personal to us, written in a way that fits our music. At heart, we’re all nerds, so anything that’s either medieval or space/fantasy related was always cool to us.


Who created the logo of the band, and who took care of the graphics and the website? What about you and social networks? Do you consider these things important? 

Jean-Philippe (rhythm guitar) made all of the different pieces of artwork himself. Like mentioned previously, Mortal Rites tries to do everything 100% ourselves, and visuals are obviously a big part of it. Everything from the EP’s artwork, to merch designs and different banners and images for social media platforms were done by him, with cues from the rest of the band too. Similarly to the previous question, we’re all pretty nerdy in Mortal Rites, so you can see those themes in the visuals of the band like the cover arts for our demo and EP or our merch designs.

Which label did you choose for releasing your album and why this label? Are you satisfied by how your label represents you and takés care about you? 

 Iron, Blood & Death Corp, out of Mexico, is releasing the EP in CD format (and has the digital format on their bandcamp website). We wanted to go with a label that released material from bands that we could see ourselves play with and Antonio was friendly right from the beginning. For such a small release as our EP is, we’re happy with how things are going with IBDC. Antonio has helped us with promoting our music, and we’re seeing decent traffic on streaming platforms and IBDC’s YouTube page.

Which bands do you idolise and where do you get your inspiration?

 ‘’Idolise’’ is a pretty strong word. Up until this EP, our music was written in a certain way and that has since changed for many reasons. A strong influence on Mortal Rites is definitely Morbid Angel, though depending on when you would ask, it’s not always the same albums that would be influential. When our band started, Altars Of Madness would probably have been the strongest influence, but the initial goal was always to get closer to Domination, which is pretty much a perfect album. Moving forward, we’re taking inspiration from bands and albums that are slightly heavier and more intense. The last two Cannibal Corpse albums and most of Hate Eternal’s discography are now key influences to Mortal Rites.


Did you send your record to some Labels - which are the labels? How was the response? 

We have sent the record to a few labels, but EP’s are usually not super popular with labels because of a few factors, especially if said label releases material on vinyl. We have received good comments on the material itself, and some great pieces of advice from some labels going forward, which are always appreciated.

How many gigs have you played? Which type of gigs do you prefer, whether it's (clubs or festivals) and which of your performances would you consider as the best? 

We only played a handful of gigs in 2024 because we were focused on finishing the writing and recording of our EP, and they were all in clubs. One of the very cool gigs that we’ve done this year was supporting 200 Stab Wounds during one of their latest tours when they stopped in our area. We’re definitely looking forward to playing more and in more places in 2025.

What about your plans for the future? What do you want to achieve with the band? 

One of the main plans is to gig more, and in more places. We all have very busy schedules, but we’re trying to make more time available for gigs. Writing and recording new material is always in the plans as well, especially since the musical direction of the band is perfectly clear and established now. We’ll probably tease some new material at some point during 2025 that showcases what our true sound is, and that’s something to look forward to, for sure!

How and where can your fans contact you? Can you provide some contact information? 

We’re on the main social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook), as well as on most streaming platforms. Instagram is usually the main page we use for contacts. Everything can be found here: https://linktr.ee/mortalritesdm and you can also find our latest release at https://ironbloodanddeath.bandcamp.com/album/death-in-heaven-life-in-hell

Thanx for the interview. 

Thank you!!!


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