Mortification

Item: 10 Years Live Not Dead
Author: Josh Spencer

10 Years Live Not Dead

(2000)

Reviewed by Josh Spencer

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Label Rowe ProductionsThe Phantom Tollbooth2000

death metal heavy metal metal thrash metal

The sole surviving evangelical metal band from Christian metal's heyday of the early '90s--Mortification--is still at it. It's amazing at frontman Steve Rowe's endurance through repeated bouts with cancer, but what's even more awe-inspiring is the existence of this living metal dinosaur in today's musical environment. And the fact that they can still command what sounds like a large, rowdy, appreciative crowd at last year's Blackstump Festival in Australia. 10 Years Live Not Dead captures (with remarkably well-mixed sonics--it's one of the clearest live recordings I've ever heard, though it does lack thickness) the unsophisticated, guttural, jangly bass-driven classic metal/thrash sound that Mortification has churned out for their past few albums. New song "Dead Man Walking" continues to feed off of Rowe's struggle with cancer for its lyrics, and pounds loosely in the same vein as recent songs.

Sadly, there's no representation of Mortification's death metal roots here. Some stuff from the first four albums is found partly in "Medley," but the original death growls are now Rowe's hardcore shouting, and the original downtuned grinding has been traded in for the less heavy guitar tones of late. It really demonstrates how inadequate and powerless the Mortification sound has become in comparison to the old days. Most of the material appears to be from their last two albums, which I haven't really paid attention to, and seems rather lacking in character.

Mortification were at one point an impressive, ominous band with the courage and chops to carry a torch into dark places. Listening now to 10 Years Live Not Dead and laughing uncontrollably at Rowe talking to the crowd in his tough "metal voice" in between songs ("are you ready for some METAAAALLLLLL??????"), it has become sadly apparent that the once mighty metal machine has become an unwitting parody of all it once was. The Christian version of Manowar, if you will.

2 tocks