CoC : Swordmaster - Moribund Transgoria : Review

Swordmaster - _Moribund Transgoria_
(Osmose, 1999)
by: Paul Schwarz (7.5 out of 10)

Swordmaster have improved their production, playing and songwriting since last I heard from them on 1997's _Postmortem Tales_. This time out the vocals are less restrained, having not been pushed unceremoniously behind a wall of distortion and all-too-regular percussion. Additionally, _Moribund Transgoria_'s melodic flirtations are far more convincing and with the production's clarity these sections help to make _Moribund Transgoria_ a far more dynamic record than its predecessor. However, there is still a residual lack of originality in most of my favourite bits (the melodic Dissection lead on "Sulphur Skelethrones" is a particular anti-highlight in this sense) and in any case Swordmaster still display an overall lack of brilliance in terms of songwriting. They do their post-thrash/death/black thing very competently and with significantly more style than most, but there are other acts doing very similar things, and doing them at least a little better. On the other hand, it's the best release featuring Niklas "Terror" Rudolfson which I have yet heard.

(article published 15/1/2000)

ALBUMS
3/14/1999	A Wee	8.5	Swordmaster - Deathraider
8/12/1997	A Wasylyk	7	Swordmaster - Postmortem Tales

GIGS
2/5/1997	P Schwarz	Dark Tranquillity / Enslaved / Bewitched / Swordmaster / Demoniac / Dellamorte	We Must Dominate, We Will Dominate