Morne popped out of Boston’s underground music scene, to add prestige and support USA’s strong extreme music scene and especially the scene which is created under the label of Sludge metal. I must note once again how strong and progressive is the underground scene in the US in the last decade. I think that it may be one of the strongest and biggest in the whole world, with Europe to struggle even rise new bands.
Enough with the scene talking, the matter of the specific review is the new Morne record, entitled ‘Shadows’. The title is overall my main thought for the record, because it describes the way it haunts the listener.
‘Shadows’ contains four songs and numbers forty minutes of music. The minutes may seem a little restrained but I personally think that they are as much as needed to create the right momentum for a good sludge metal record. As a whole, I can describe the music Morne playing as highly addictive and a bit of depressive. The guitars, the atmosphere, the whole tracks, fill the mind with an air of sadness. With the right mood, ‘Shadows’ takes the shape of an awesome record, combining the sludge metal with post-metal elements and keyboard’s effects. The sound is actually the most post-metal element, while the record lacks the overwhelmed sound of sludge metal, with full distortion and plain, harsh songs. The record is the actually opposite, reminding me of the sludge metal of Neurosis and Amenra.
‘Coming of Winter’ is the opener for the ‘Shadows’ and it is the right track to deliver the feeling of cold the record’s melodies try to engage. With pompous drumming and heavy, slow guitars, ‘Coming of Winter’ is the soundtrack of the late August nights, where the anticipation about the winter becomes strong. The vocals are perfectly adapted to the music and the guitar riffs come and go. ‘A Distance’ continues the pompous rhythms and the track becomes progressively more aggressive later. The tracks are powerful, full of energy, with ‘New Dawn’ and ‘Shadows’ to follow up within the same pattern. After the four songs, comes a big pause and after five minutes the band jams another untitled guitar riff and the record closes with the best impressions. Moreover, I got to admit the great work in the rhythm section, especially in bass, where I can hear it loud and clear the most time.
Having nothing else to say about the record, I include it in the list of the best sludge records of the year, along with Universe217 and Mouth of The Architect. Well done to Morne!
Track List | Line Up |
01. Coming of Winter 02. A Distance 03. New Dawn 04. Shadows |
Max Furst- Bass Milosz Gassan- Guitars/ vocals Jeff Hayward- Guitars/ Vocals Billy Knockenhauer- Drums |
Kostas Tsotsanis.