CoC : Morser - 10,000 Bad Guys Dead : Review

Morser - _10,000 Bad Guys Dead_
(Chrome St. Magnus, 2002)
by: Adam Lineker (9.5 out of 10)

Straight in with a metal explosive to launch the album into orbit, it is apt to say that opener "The Sharpest Blade" cuts like a knife. With a violent mix of razor-edged guitars, tight, metallic drums and three different pitches of lacerating vocal butchery, _10,000 Bad Guys Dead_ begins as an onslaught of high quality aural battery. The vital component, which takes this to an exhilarating level, is the twin bass guitar attack, which acts as a vital lynchpin whilst never sounding anything but brutal. This is violent and massively aggressive metal. The music is complex but not obtuse; the band shine as musicians who carve out killer riffs whilst measuring out just the right blend of complex time signatures. There is a progressive element to Morser's work, but the songs are never pretentious or overly long. What we have are a bunch of musicians thrashing their songs out at such a level of intensity that it is a wonder that they don't suffer a haemorrhage. The riffs are engrossing and masterfully constructed, as works of raw metal seamlessly shift from style to style. We can experience the different moods of such violent-yet-still-melodic metal because Morser seem to be able to change gears mid song in a way that never sounds anything but natural; I would say effortless but it sounds as if the musicians are throwing everything into this. It is hard to pick a part that stands above the rest; the whole album stands so tall. "Rock Oil" is relentless, "Interactive Solitude" is really crushing and "Strength in Numbers" is ominous and dark with a head-banging midsection. "A.M.P" is melodically prominent but it just has to be said that this entire album kills -- no, brutalises. Lyrically it is simple and full of attitude, but it is not as if you can hear what they are saying anyway... Morser thrash out a performance here that blows most live albums clean away. The energy just radiates from this record. If _10,000 Bad Guys Dead_ reflects the live sound of this band in any way shape or form, these guys are going to blaze one hell of a trail. Never pleasant, always exhilarating and crucially absorbing, Morser offers one vital metal experience. Check this out now. _10,000 Bad Guys Dead_ is my personal album of this issue. It is really as simple as that.

(article published 1/9/2002)