The first time I got acquainted with Morphia was through their gig as a support act for Mortification in the summer of 2001. I was impressed by their professional attitude and their beautifully shaped music. A few weeks later I bought their Unfulfilled Dreams album. Now the band presents their follow-up called Frozen Dust. Their music can be described as symphonic doom. You can hear heavy chugging guitar riffs and acoustic parts. This is all completed with subtle drum, bass, piano & keyboard playing. Interesting is the use of different kinds of vocals. At one point in The Sun, for example, you can hear three different vocal layers at the same time: the clean voice of guitarist Roger Koedoot, the growl of lead singer Jasper Pieterson and the shrieking sounds of keyboard player Peter van Tulder. Frozen Dust is the first record for Jasper. He has a deep, dry and dark grunt that fits this music perfectly. It's moody, atmospheric music with melancholic lyrics. Or even depressive lyrics like in Forced To Obey. Production wise the band made a leap forward resulting in a top notch product. Also the booklet was done with care. You can find various pictures that represent the lyrics in some way. If you like atmospheric doom metal, Frozen Dust is a must have.
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #98Reviewed by Matt MorrowThis band originates from the Netherlands and plays a powerful style of symphonic doom metal. Take some of the heavier songs of Paramaecium and mix them with the beauty of Saviour Machine and you get an idea of what Morphia brings to the table. However, they really have a sound all their own. Frozen Dust is easily one of my top five for 2002. This is a drastic improvement over 1998's Unfulfilled…
