In the world of Melodic Death Metal, I rightfully believe that there are four titans, four bands that really stand head and shoulders above anyone else and those bands are Omnium Gatherum, Insomnium, Wolfheart, and the aforementioned Mors Principium Est. These bands are the heart and soul of the genre and have a continued legacy going on.
It is safe to say that it is not a safe bet to do a re-recording of a past album. It feels like you are trying to rehash the past and that is not the right thing to do. You do not want to tarnish your legacy but release something that is not up to snuff, that does not exceed your personal standards and the standards of your fans. There are a lot of risks involved in this endeavor obviously and sometimes it’s a calculated risk. Metal II by Annihilator was a pretty big disappointment for me but these re-recordings are something completely different.
In this case, Mors Principium Est wanted to re-record several of their earlier tracks with the new lineup. The split between lead singer Ville Viljanen and fellow lead programmer Andy Gillion led the band to look at the past. They hired 3 past members from their genesis period and decided on giving it another try. The first three albums were recorded with small means and a very limited budget, and they wanted to celebrate their early years by adding modern technology to the mix…literally.
Embers of a Dying World and Seven are considered masterpieces in the genre so why decide to make such radical changes? I really don’t know why but I read that there was a whole lot of dissension in the band, and they wanted to make sure that the chemistry of the band would be primordial before anything else.
MPE are a melting pot of different genres all rolled into one. You can consider their earlier sound like a mix of Johan Liva-era Arch Enemy and early Dark Tranquility with a very aggressive Thrash Metal side (think Kreator at times). They were able to mix everything together and make a cohesive sound, something that made them stand apart in the early predominant Melodic Death Metal scene.
Ville Viljanen definitely shows his angry side in this release, there is some frenzy, some aggressiveness we had not seen in a long time. It may or not be related to the band lineup changes but he feels like he is rehashing his personal anger in his lyrics and tonality. He feels refreshed, and ready to tackle another period of the band and he is at his peak on this album.
There are several melodic death metal bands out there that all offer the same package: harsh vocals, keyboards, and insane guitar work. The sad thing is, a lot of these bands end up sounding like generic clones of each other and virtually rehash the same formula with different riffs…almost like offering the same tequila every time, but putting it in different glasses and having a different fruit placed on the toothpick. This is not the case for Mors Principium Est. Unlike most bands from the melodeath genre, MPE knows how to take a concept and rework it into an album worth of material, and even then, they use different concepts for different songs.
“Liberate the Unborn Inhumanity” offers the listener something different from the melodeath genre, wrapping up the atmosphere, melody, heaviness, and insane guitar solos into a nice package with a nice and bountiful cherry on top. I would recommend this album to anyone who likes the genre and are tired of the same old same old. Mors Principium Est have become a staple, they were the followers but now they are leaders and the flag bearers.
If this is the new era of the band, we are in for a treat in the near future, and they will get the recognition they deserve in the genre.
