Argentinian chaos mongers Mortuorial Eclipse quite recently released this majestic 9-track opus of theirs via Art Gates Records and if bombastic black/death metal turns you on I suggest you pay attention here. Before going any further, however, I probably ought to start off by telling you that the music conjured up by these highly skilled musicians closely resembles that of Behemoth around the "Thelema.6" and "Zos Kia Cultus" eras in terms of style, tone, and atmosphere. Mortuorial Eclipse offer utterly crushing and layered music with plenty of interesting shades and nuances to it. It is highly symphonic, but also incredibly catchy and captivating in places.

 

The production is splendid and the musicianship is superb, but the main problem with "Urushdaur" is that cursed thing about it sounding (too much) like the aforementioned Behemoth. Simply put, the band’s lack of originality and identity is somewhat annoying and frustrating. Even the vocals are eerily close to those of Nergal, which basically means that they are powerful and convincing, like an instrument in and of itself, but a more personal style and delivery would have done wonders for this otherwise vigorous and muscular output. Then again, it is impossible not to get carried away by Mortuorial Eclipse’s dramatic and theatrical onslaught of epic black/death metal, and it is wonderful to hear and experience how "Urushdaur" shifts from raging and wild to controlled and structured in a matter of mere seconds. Those Eastern-tinged melodies that make up "Beyond the Sands of Perdition" are brilliant and "Ruin Empire" as well as "In Extremis" are nothing short of stunning.

 

The keyboards feature quite prominently throughout but are inspired and cleverly worked into the arrangements, so no complaints there at all. "Urushdaur" is heavy on otherworldly moods and most definitely a face-melting album through and through, but these guys need to evolve into a frightening musical entity with a sound that is entirely its own as opposed to derivative.

 

https://mortuorialeclipse.bandcamp.com/