The mortified guys are back with a hammering thrash-album. Wow, start the first tune with powerful thrash (Metal Crusade). New here are the keyboards which add so much more atmosphere. The guitar comes clearly out of the mix so that's good. It's an aggressive song with a great guitarsolo. I only think the song could have been shorter. I didn't know Mortification could be this good nowadays, you know. From the previous album I only heard one song and -because I at first didn't know it was this band- I thought it was a mediocre American metalband trying to sound like Metallica. I'm glad this is NOT the case on Hammer Of God. On this album Steve Rowe tends to scream instead of the grunting of old. Only in the remake of God Rulz (The Majestic Infiltration Of Order) he grunts as a farewell to the deathmetal days. This album does not only have the uptempo thrash songs but also a whole couple of songs classic metal, like the song A Pearl. The sound is good, overall, and brutal like it should. This album has ten songs plus six bonus tracks of which three are demo-versions of songs from Triumph Of Mercy. Favorite songs of mine are Metal Crusade and the medley of old songs. To be honest, I didn't know Mortification could be as enjoyable as this. Hammer on!
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #78Reviewed by Doug Van PeltMortification has played a true tribute to the classic metal sounds that influenced it from the beginning. What we first heard on Blood World comes out more prominently here, but it's played so aggressively and tight that it beats the "old school" criticism to death. The album has good songs on it. The guitar tones bite a la Iron Maiden, the vocals are less grindy, but still close to the Steve…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Justin W. JonesGet ready for a trip back metal lane. But the real trip is your tour guide--he looks like he's stuck in the eighties, he plays like he's stuck in the eighties, but I'm glad he's in the nineties. Yes, Mortification has released yet another album. Right from the start you get the metal fix you've been craving for so long, but you may question if you really wanted it in the first place. Steve Rowe…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by NecRoSarXWell, it's good to see the band Light Force back together after all these years. Wait a minute, what's that you say? This isn't a Light Force album? This is a Mortification album? No, that can't be. Mortification is the ultra-heavy death metal/grindcore band from down under. This is a CD of classic power metal, reminiscent of Iron Maiden. No, this has to be Light Force. Wait up. After inspecting…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by SFhxcSFI've heard a lot of bad things about this album. I don't know why. I know it's not grind and I know it's disappointing (R.I.P. old Embodyment). But this cd does not suck by any stretch of the mind. It's not brutal but it's metal! And we love metal! If you've read my other Mortification review...I think Morty's lyrics are cheesy and don't feel great need to comment, sorry. I do love…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by SORGThis is the 9th full length CD from Steve Rowe and company, not to mention a couple of live eps, a best of compilation, a rare import, and some stuff Steve done back in the late 80s with his band Lightforce. Steve Rowe has been through the fires of Hell and is here to tell about it! He has successfully won a war against Leukemia (cancer of the bones and blood stream), even though at one point the…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by FletchOuch. I give Mortification an E for effort. However, the glory days of Scrolls of the Megilloth are long gone. From the vague memories I carry of EnVision EvAngelene, this is somewhat of a step up in some areas, but an even further decline in others. Steve's personal classic metal tastes are showing through more than ever. The solos and riffs on this cd are pretty, well actually, extremely…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by MuchTo be honest I have had zero interest in this band for years, other than the question of "have they ventured back into the land of brutality yet"? SIGH Not now and I fear never again. I did have a bit of interest upon hearing that keyboards were going to be used on this release. This new amenity ended up being an enmity because they sounded so "lite & airy" that it made Morty sound even weaker. A…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by D_ListerI guess the thing that upsets me most about this album is simply that there was so much potential here it's not funny. Many secular death heads know who Mortification is, and with the influence, not to mention affluence of Metal Blade, Mortification stood a good chance of having seriously turned a lot of people on to Christian metal. Sadly their debut release on Metal Blade is a FAR cry from what…Similar sounding releases
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1996EnVideon (Video)
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