Posted on: October 27, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The metal that is played by Mord on “Christendom Perished” is something that is not moderated by time or general mood of the track. There is little time for individuals to get ready as Mord throws their listeners headlong into their distinct music style. Actually providing ideas to listeners via vocals is not the goal of the band; the screaming acts more like another instrument here during songs like “Opus II”. The tracks are all fairly short, but contain within their runtime a number of different sounds and styles that will keep listeners listening in.

This is not the radio metal of acts like Cradle of Filth, but rather some of the hardest music that one can find. Mord are masters of messing with individuals’ emotions to the point that the band can essentially work the same riff to the ground and still lead listeners by their noses to wherever the band wishes to go. Different styles come to the top of the soup with each subsequent track on “Christendom Perished”, which means a song like “Opus III” can tie together thrash, death metal and even a little bit of crust punk in what is a tight section (the song ends well before the five minute mark). There are not many things that link together “Christendom Perished” but there are some serious things present that inexorably link together the entirety of the disc.

The aforementioned repetition makes its way back to listeners’ ears for “Opus III”, while the vocal styles keep relatively constant at the same shrieked-out level. Tying each of the tracks together with a differing “Opus” number may be oine way to show that the album is supposed to be listened to in a very specific context, but the songs can be enjoyed without much loss of meaning if taken separately. Mord continue pounding listeners’ ears for much longer than the 37 minute runtime of “Christendom Perished”; this album will cause heads to bang and necks to be stiff for a much longer time. The songs here are not the type of metal that will make it big, but who honestly cares? Mord never let up on this album, and in doing this the band shows individuals that they will not give up without a fight. Pick up a copy of Mord’s “Christendom Perished” if you have any love for dark, heavy and most importantly brutal metal.

Top Tracks: Opus II, Opus V

Rating: 6.0/10

Mord – Christendom Perished / 2006 Southern Lord / 9 Tracks / http://www.mord-horde.com / http://www.southernlord.com / Reviewed 25 March 2006

[JMcQ]

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