Over the past sixteen years, Deus Mortem has become another noteworthy face within Polish black metal thanks to their ability to balance rawer, traditional black metal with more subtle melodies and transitions. Like many in the genre who have been around for a decade or longer, as time has gone on the band has shifted and tweaked their formula as they have gone through some member changes. 2019’s Kosmocide retained the rawer production values but injected a bit more melody and dynamic songwriting, while The Fiery Blood EP the following year pivoted over to a cleaner but still aggressive sound. At this point Deus Mortem resembled mid-period Blaze of Perdition at times, but the main difference was they tended to not let the melodies sprawl for too long and always returned to the aggression. Four years after The Fiery Blood, things have once again shifted as Devilpriest’s Tom Hermies has taken over on guitar and Antigama’s Paweł Jaroszewicz has stepped in on session drums for the band’s latest full-length Thanatos. These member changes have brought a change in sound, with old-school rock ‘n roll and heavy metal woven into the blasting black metal. It’s a very riff-focused album, but the injection of some additional influences hasn’t taken away from the violence and grit Deus Mortem is known for.
Plenty of black metal over the years has had elements of rock or punk woven into some of the riffing, but when it’s specifically called out in promotional material that sometimes makes people nervous as there have been varying degrees of success when it comes to “black ‘n roll”. Deus Mortem makes it clear right from opener “Krwawy Świt” that the injection of these additional elements isn’t going to detract from their violent, churning foundation as upon pressing play you’re greeted with pummeling blast beats and jagged riffs. But after this initial blasting subsides there’s a noticeably bouncier and more rock-oriented slant to the riffs, which is expanded upon as the song progresses. Not only are there some slight melodic dips that break up the aggression, but around the three-minute mark the guitar lets loose with leads and solos that are much more rock ‘n roll and heavy metal oriented but retain that black metal tonality. But despite that first impression, as you get further into Thanatos it becomes clear that Deus Mortem hasn’t simply pivoted to more of a black ‘n roll sound and then called it a day. This is definitely a more riff forward effort than some of their past albums, but the straightforward and high-energy sections tend to lead into blasting and melodies that have a darker and grittier feel. As a result, it feels like Deus Mortem have refined and broadened their skill set without losing their core approach, making for material that consistently delivers memorable passages while shaking up how it approaches things from one song to the next. Whether through early highlights like “Slow Death” where the rock edge gives a groovier slant to the chaos or later cuts like “Czarny Kruk” that emphasize a bit more of the traditional black metal riffs, there are plenty of twists and turns that keep you intrigued. Thanatos is also bolstered by the type of clarity and bigger production first heard on The Fiery Blood, which allows some of the smaller details to have space to breathe without taking away the bite. There are a few songs that run just a tad bit too long, but as a whole this album has plenty of substance to keep listeners returning for another catchy yet violent take on the genre.
Vocalist/guitarist Necrosodom is the sole original member left in the band at this point, and his raspy scream has been one of the main constants of Deus Mortem’s material no matter where they’ve gone instrumentally. This continues to work to the group’s advantage, as the way that the screams and growls tower over the recording keeps the intensity at a high from beginning to end. There’s a fullness to the pitch that gives the vocal performance a bit more bite compared to some of the other black metal bands out there, and while you won’t find a significant variation in pitch the verses are spaced out in a way that prevents things from feeling repetitive. One key difference that I appreciated is the lyrics seem to be split between English and Polish this time around, and the different inflections between the languages were another factor in giving each song unique characteristics.
A lot of Polish black metal bands that started off on more orthodox musical paths have branched out significantly over the last decade, so it’s no surprise that Deus Mortem has also gone through some changes. But where others have done a complete 180, the material on Thanatos feels like a good middle ground where the rock and heavy metal elements are noticeable in the guitar leads but the core black metal sound is intact. This not only brings more variety to the songwriting, but Deus Mortem have also come to the table with riffs that are as catchy as they are gritty and this will keep listeners coming back regularly. Thanatos is available from Profane Spirit Productions.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg