Whooooorrrgghhh!!! Aggressive, bold, tight, fast, furious, controlled. Blood World shows Mortification at full tilt (Is there any other way?). Extreme music for extreme times.
The first thing you'll notice on this release - even before the changed vocals of Steve Rowe - is the slower classic metal approach the band takes to its music. The vocals sound great, especially in the title track, reminding me of the second Sacrament album. This song has a groove that carries over to the vocal melody in the chorus. Yes! Mortification has expanded its sound without losing a step of its power.
"Your Life" is another shining example of the band taking off into a couple real cool grooves, with a tightness that slams! Steve's vocals are gutter-rolled out of his gut with power and conviction. This song is a finger-pointer that comments straight-up about someone's death. The drums kick a la Maiden. (I know Steve "classic metal" Rowe is loving this!)
The one major exception to this new vocal direction is the grinding delivery in "Symbiosis" - but only after at least a 90-second classic metal jam intro. The next most grinding vocal performance is probably the best song - "Live By The Sword," which just attacks and attacks with biting power riffs. The band has again taken a humorous stance on a couple of its lyrics a la "Grind Planetarium." In "Monks Of The High Lord," Steve growls, "We are the order of grinding silence...Again impacting with brutal sonics." In "J.G.S.H.," he simply repeats the following lines several times: "Jesus grind Satan's head," until "his head is dead." The song "Dark Allusions" takes a bold swipe at the band's own genre, which uses gory imagery to sell.
Blood World is Mortification's most intense output of sound. Fans of death can appreciate this side by side with hardcore fans. When it kills, it kills!
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by WoodensoulNow while I am one that thinks Mortification's glory years were during Scrolls ..., and Post Momentary ..., Blood World is still a great album. Released in 1994, Blood World became Mortification's largest selling album. Now as with all Mortification albums, there were big differences between this album and the others. Up to this point Steve Rowe pretty much kept the same line up in the band. but…Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by NecRoSarXThis is the first Mortification album that started leaning more toward the power metal sound found in recent releases, and away from the death metal style old school fans reminisce about. This is a transition album that struck close to a decent balance between the heavy and what some would say the artsy sides of modern metal. The songs that showcase this transition best are "Symbiosis" (with that…Similar sounding releases
1992Vengeance RisingReleased Upon the Earth
2005Pale HorseUntil the Last Seal Is Opened...
1991TourniquetPsycho Surgery
1998Day of AtonementCremation of the Guilty
1997Set Apart / ChaliceSet Apart / Chalice
2005Summer's EndSummer's EndMore from Mortification
1996Live Without Fear
1990Break The Curse 1990
1993Post Momentary Affliction
1994Grind Planets (Video)
1993Live Planetarium
1991Mortification
