Steve Rowe, under the Mortification moniker, has put out more Christian metal albums than anyone else. Fans held their breath and tossed up prayers over the past year or so as Rowe struggled for his life with leukemia, until he was apparently cured miraculously (even visited by an angel, as he sings on the imaginatively-titled "Visited By An Angel"). As soon as he could summon the strength to pick his fat bass strings again, Rowe kicked this latest album out. Mortification moshes on.
Many have complained of the lack of consistency in Mortification's career, since they seem to change metal styles with each new album. But that was always what kept me returning--that element of surprise, never knowing if they would grind out a keeper or a loser. Triumph of Mercy is musically and vocally a cross between the classic/power metal throwback of EnVision EVangeline and the classic metal-meets-hardcore of Blood World, with watered-down grindcore elements from Post Momentary Affliction baring their worn fangs from time to time. More than anything, though, it's the lowest common denominator of the Mortification sound: Rowe's tiresome gallop picking, his jangly bass-less(!) bass tone, the mid-range unimaginative rhythms, the straight-forward cheesy cliche-ridden lyrics. Lincoln Bowen's excellent leads (the atmospheric tone two-thirds of the way through the title track, the wah in "Raw is the Stonewood Temple") are the only spice in an otherwise dull meal.
While Mortification sounds like no one else, this is just one tired-sounding album, lacking in energy or intensity...which is completely understandable! The man behind it has been vomiting in bed for a long time, after all, and he's to be commended for putting out an album so soon after his fight with death. Fans will no doubt be looking for the next one for a true comeback, but they should buy this anyway to help Rowe pay his medical bills.
2 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Chris KingThis album has all of the markings, good and bad, of a typical "post-Scrolls of the Megilloth" Mortification album. Steve Rowe's bass playing and various vocal styles are on par with other releases, giving the songs a familiar feel, and the music ranges from death metal to classic metal. Also present and accounted for are the occasionally awkward vocal deliveries or musical passages which have…HM Magazine #72Reviewed by Chad OlsonWhat's been up with Mortification . . . no new studio album for 2 years? As if you have to ask! Most of you have read by now about Steve Rowe's immense struggle with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. For that story you can read issue #71. Anyway, Triumph Of Mercy is full of the heavy stuff we can expect from the guys. Steve's voice doesn't sound quite as guttural as some of the past efforts, but he…Similar sounding releases
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1999Hammer of God
1990Break The Curse 1990
1991Mortification
1992Scrolls of the Megilloth
1996The Best Of... Five Years
1995Primitive Rhythm Machine
