MORTUARY DRAPE

Italy's MORTUARY DRAPE has been driving its occult-obsessed black metal for almost four decades, and its sole original member, Wildness Perversion, continues to carry the spectral torch. Hot on the heels of its first release with the revered English label Peaceville Records, last year's excellent "Wisdom - Vibration - Repent" EP, the band return with their sixth full-length, "Black Mirror", which displays MORTUARY DRAPE's traditional heavy metal essence in a way that's timeless, true to form, yet also modern in several ways.

A haunting piano-led intro sets the tone for what's ahead, flowing into opener "Restless Death" which proceeds with a more aggressive thrash metal drive prior to a dramatic and ominous doom-paced section. The song moves into a nasty groove which takes hold, morphing with a transitionary, nimbly picked bass iteration setting up the charging death metal finale, a take on the same riff. The devil is indeed in the unearthly details.

Every song is straightforward, yet there's so much subtlety to take in and appreciate, in many ways attributable to the unit's lineup stability. Wilderness Perversion has maintained the same stringed musicians for almost 15 years, and, in 2019, he made the instrumental decision to focus entirely upon singing, handing his sticks over to former BLAZE BAYLEY drummer Manuel "M.T." Togni.

Following the impressive opening track, "The Secret Lost" boasts a memorable thrashing onslaught that's deeply rooted in MERCYFUL FATE worship. The profound FATE influence is even more obvious on "Ritual Unction", a beefier, hard-hitting song with pointed double-bass pummeling. MORTUARY DRAPE's locked-in rhythm section provides the requisite backbone for the fluid, adventurous guitar soloing and deviant riffing. Togni and bassist Simone "S.C." Cappato are essential in providing the foundation upon which the spirited guitar melodies wander on "Nocturnal Coven", allowing Wilderness Perversion to freely spout his eerie, fork-tongued vocals over it all. Here he doles out tales of magical rites and spells tied to real events and an overarching theme suggesting that déjà vu experiences may either be memories from past lives or premonitions of things to come.

Long-running extreme metal bands remain in the game for many reasons. MORTUARY DRAPE has always exuded a sense of authenticity, and that's precisely why they're still relevant and "Black Mirror" is as good as it is. Some ongoing old-timers try to mimic the flavor of the day, others stand in place without offering anything special nor new. With "Black Mirror", MORTUARY DRAPE remains faithful to its signature sound and style — established as far back as its 1987 demo "Necromancy" and especially on its 1994 debut long-player "All the Witches Dance" — while challenging itself with clever, detailed compositions and a modern extreme metal potency. The album is successful because of the way MORTUARY DRAPE wields its impressive musicianship toward timeless, well-written songs while never eschewing their primal, wide-eyed spirit.