MORGENGRAU – Extrinsic Pathway

"Extrinsic Pathway" is the debut full-length from Texas Death Metallers Morgengrau. You could guess from the inclusion of a Sepultura cover ("Inner Self") that the take on DM isn’t of the most modern form and you’d be right – the feel is much more early 90’s with a good blend of Euro and US styles.

There is a mix of fast and slow material. Nothing particularly brutal or technical though – the emphasis is on riffs that groove and songs that work via hooks rather than atmosphere or face crunching speed and power. I’m from the same kind of era as this one, so I like the chosen approach and find the record to be accessible and an easy listen. I thought long and hard about the score and gave this release a four because despite any shortcomings, I have listened to it over a dozen times and found it an undemanding but pleasant companion.

On the downside, even though some of the riffs and refrains are catchy and do the trick, there is very little else to write home about. Death Metal has got to be one of the most oversubscribed genres out there and fans are bombarded with dozens of albums of this level each month.

So yeah, "Extrinsic Pathway" is good – but do you really need it?

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