Gloria Morti: Anthems of Annihilation (2010)

Review

Gloria Morti is a Finnish melodic blackened death metal band, whose debut album was one of my favorites of 2004. Their third album, Anthems of Annihilation, came out recently.

Their sound is blackened death metal with the added benefit of synthesizer, which is used with wise restraint. The music is well-written and well-performed, and it's relentless. Their vocalist is one of the best in the business, moving effortlessly between bone-shattering growls and bloodcurdling screeches. The riffs can be catchy as hell ("Obey"), they write emotional music ("Awakening of a Discordant Machine"), and they have some great leads, too ("The Final Framework").

Despite all that, I'm disappointed. Not because this is a bad album, but because they haven't evolved. In fact, it's quite the opposite. You might expect a band's debut to sound like Band X + Band Y, but by the second or third album they've developed their own identity. Gloria Morti's debut had a distinct identity of its own, but now they sound pretty much like Behemoth plus early Dimmu Borgir (when they still used synths for their "symphonic" side).

The Verdict: Anthems of Annihilation has everything you could possibly want--from a debut album. But since it's Gloria Morti's third album, and their first was such a great one, it's a bit disappointing. Still, I would recommend it to fans of Behemoth, at least if you can't find Lifestream Corrosion. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.