Morgul Blade – Heavy Metal Wraiths (2024)

Be honest, you couldn’t resist the Lord of the Rings reference of the band’s name. Me neither, since in combination with the cover you are teased for something as epic and metal, as Gandalf fighting the Balrog. The Black/ Heavy Metal that the Americans Morgul Blade play, may focus less on the epic part, but totally delivers on every metal promise made. 

To set some foundations, the music is the result of a recipe combining both genres mentioned above, with the Heavy aspect having the lion’s share. There are many Black Metal outbursts though, and specifically the vocals are focused on that style, as their brutal approach engulfs the entire record with sporadic exceptions.

Each member contributes greatly on their part. Guitar riffs were crafted by the most skilled dwarves in the deepest smithies of Khazad-dum, drums shake the ground harder than the Ents’ march and bass binds everything together like the one ring, by transfusing a great deal of bulkiness to the final result. If you think this is an exaggeration, Eagle Strike that opens the album will be enough to persuade you. 

To get a little more serious, I am not the biggest fan of Black Metal, other than a few cases that can be counted by the fingers of one hand. My exposure to some bands that employ brutal vocals however, allowed me to give Heavy Metal Wraiths a chance. The result? I have been listening to it on repeat for the last two weeks. The reason, simply because the music Morgul Blade play is top notch, energetic, kicks and most importantly, never becomes dull. The duration of the record that stops at 35 minutes contributes to this feeling, as it does not drag out without reason and as soon as it ends you will simply want to replay it. 

What I liked is that each song had a different highlight. The title track excels on the lead guitars, Eagle Strike and Razor Sharp had killer main riffs, Spider God and Frostwyrm Cavalry for their Black Metal branches and Beneath the Black Sails for its epic atmosphere. Without degrading the performance of everything else, the MVP of the album are the drums, that are like a feral beast that cannot be contained. 

This marriage of genres may be a hard sell for many and Heavy Metal Wraiths will never try to be melodic or catchy just to attract attention. It is simply a record that cuts like Witch King’s blade. Followers of the underground scene will be overjoyed, as they could easily crown it among this year’s best releases to come from this category. 

85/100

Pavlos Pavlakis

On behalf of Metal Domain