(Melodic Death Metal) Mortifilia - Redemption - 2005, APE (image+.cue), lossless

Unless we go back into our own archives, it is rare as reviewers to get the chance to critique something that isn’t a very recent release. Since “Redemption” from the Czech outfit MORTIFILIA is actually a few years old, I get the chance to look back in a way and even compare an album to a time recent in memory. This should let you know how much I think of the album: it would probably have made my top ten of that year or at least damn close.
What you have with “Redemption” is one class release of Death Metal in the vein of DISMEMBER, with crunching guitars accompanied by some seriously catchy rhythms and a mix of blasting and mid tempo drum and bass. Like some of the Swedish bands who play a similar brand of DM, MORTIFILIA have that ability to seemingly groove while possessing the necessary level of aggression to assault the old aural appendages. One of the finest tracks on the album is actually a track from an earlier release, “Christhunt”. The cut races out with an almost Black Metal tremulous picking but soon gets down to that sweet chugging of DM guitars that is so appealing to Dead heads like myself. The song then combines many aspect of the band’s melodic soloing and hammer-on note playing united with the speedy picking which started the song off. “Redemption” is full of such songs, displaying not only MORTIFILIA’s ability to kill with a violent battering but also seamlessly meshing melody that is not too over the top as to place the band in a less forceful genre of Metal. Definitely a worthy addition to those who like a slight variation to the more straight forward, punch in the face Death Metal.
(c) Stephen /www.metal-observer.com/