Madder Mortem - _Deadlands_
(Century Media, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
Once in a while a band comes along that really surprises me. With
_Deadlands_, Madder Mortem have just made it into the restricted group
of those who have successfully surprised me twice in a row. After
changing half or more of the band's members after their debut
full-length _Mercury_ (which, in the light of their last two records,
I overrated back then), Madder Mortem proceeded to release two
albums that failed to make much of an impact upon first listen. I had
little expectations for _All Flesh Is Grass_, but after a few listens
it really started making sense and won quite a lot of admiration from
me. _Deadlands_, coming along on the wake of _All Flesh Is Grass_,
consequently faced much higher expectations, and that initially seemed
set to be its undoing. It simply failed to live up to its predecessor.
That was until it too started making sense, not as the successor of a
great album but as an album in its own right. It's different, yet
still very much Madder Mortem. It won me over like its predecessor
did, only for different reasons that took me a while to figure out.
Yet with every listen, nearly all the tracks seemed to come forth a
bit more, until finally I conceded to myself that the album was at
least as great as _All Flesh Is Grass_. Madder Mortem are unafraid to
sound strange at any given time, and they definitely do their own
thing, which is what makes them unique. A track like "Rust Cleansing",
with its guitar lead interweaving with the vocals and the crushing
main riff and drum work throughout the song's remarkable structure,
can only come from a highly inspired and talented band who doesn't
mind being labeled as 'different'. Of course Agnette Kirkevaag's
powerful, inspiring vocals are on the forefront of the sound again,
and on tracks like the excellent "Omnivore" I wouldn't like to stand
in her path. Much like the rest of the band, she is not just talented:
she is willing to experiment, and does so with great results. The
instrumental side can move the music from doomy and introspective to
angry and crushing, with some really heavy, rhythmically challenging
riffs alternating with great leads and vocals. Madder Mortem sound
fresh and unique in a world of copycats, although bound to be
misunderstood by a lot of people (perhaps even the majority). As far
as I'm concerned, I just can't wait to see what they'll come up with
next and whether they can maintain this level of quality and
originality.
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