Review of Mord - Necrosodomic Abyss

There are times when speed can really fool you into believing you’re listening to something killer. The snap of the snare being pummeled into oblivion takes on a sickening life of its own with only the most basic of catchy riffs to support it, and sometimes that’s enough for you. Being ‘good’ is all you really need depending on your mood, and that’s exactly what you’ll get with Mord’s Necrosodomic Abyss, good black metal. There’s nothing too exciting going on, but this is still a decently catchy, no-bullshit black metal album, that I’d say is a slight improvement from the mind-numbing plainness of Christendom Perished.

Although there’s a groovy Satyricon inspired quality to this album that reminds me a little bit of Watain’s Sworn To The Dark, Mord keeps its foot firmly on the accelerator most of the time, hitting nonstop with blast after blast of searing black metal that focuses on in-your-face velocity, and violent mid-ranged screaming. Still, they seem to have landed in a weird spot this time around. The overall sound really isn’t all that filthy, nor really clean or polished either, which sometimes comes across as a little diluted under the whack of the all powerful machine gun snare. The guitar tone itself is also rather odd, as if it’s intentionally blaring at insane volume, but still smashed down under the weight of the drums in a way I have a hard time describing. It sounds a little messy in spots, and completely tight in others, so a little consistency could have helped a great deal.

This combination of strange production and nondescript songwriting, along with the emphasis on mindless speed, causes this album to fly by in a whirl of tremolo and fury without leaving behind too much wreckage in its wake. Divided into basically untitled “opuses” no tracks stand out over the other, with the exception of a few scant breaks in momentum, an injection of groove, and an occasional foray into thrashy melody. This duo definitely know what they’re doing, but they do it with very little individuality, and seem to have assembled a collection of some of the best rehashed riffs they could come up with, and nothing more.

Despite my negativity, there’s really nothing too offensive going on with Necrosodomic Abyss, yet that in itself is part of the problem. While enjoyable to a small degree, Mord have only taken a small step up from their previous album, and I do commend them for putting together a few cool arrangements here and there. But at the end of the day, this is a basic black metal album that brings neither major condemnation, nor high praise, as if attacking with dull knives along with a lot of intimidating fast, yet ultimately hollow noise. It’s bizarre how something can sound so energetic yet so blasé at the same time, but somehow Mord have done it. For enthusiasts only.

Release Details

Mord

Necrosodomic Abyss

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