Inquisition: The Blackened Heart of Man
This album
is considered as magnum opus of Morgana Lefay. At that time (the second half of
the nineties) when all classic forms of metal were aloof, the career of these power
thrash Swedes was fresh and unforgettable. I read only very good and
enthusiastic reviews. That’s true, the first feeling was positive at least, but
in process of time all my considerations join into one phrase: this is the
weakest album with Charles Rytkönen on vocals. Before listening to
this album I was wondering if Morgana Lefay was able to record a better album
than “Sanctified” – the best effort of the band for me.
The front
cover looks really awesomely, Necrolord did a fine piece of work once again. It
perfectly fits to the lyrics about inquisition and medieval dark times. Of
course this picture has nothing to do about the marking of “Maleficium”, I
wrote about it as the weakest thing, but wait, Swedes didn’t record a shit
album! The production of Ulf Peterson is powerful and it looks like a forceful
wall of sound, I recognize this band after the first seconds of “The Source of
Pain”, so here everything is just great. The music also isn’t a surprise, but I
don’t call it as continuation of “Sanctified”. This time musicians emphasized
on simple yet quite melodious songs and this is the main difference as compared
with the previous album. After short ominous intro, “The Source of Pain”
attacks the silence. This is simply glaring example of Morgana Lefay style: not
so fast with mid paced tempo, fine guitar works and devastating riffs supported
by rhythm section and of course vocals – unique Charles Rytkönen. The next song “Victim of the Inquisition” is even better in my
opinion due to quasi-balladic beginning and extremely hard chorus with heavy guitars
– this combination perfectly fits here: excellent melody and demonic vocals in
chorus (“Who’s satanical?”). I can say that this song is one of the best
performances of these Swedes in their career. The third song “Madness” reminds
me Candlemass a bit, but here we have this incredible heaviness with beautiful
fragment starting with “...I’m laughing at God…” in the middle of the song. Then
we have some speed ups and interesting guitar leads. The next two songs are
total contrary: “A Final Farewell” is the ballad (it definitely keeps high
level of the previous ballads from the past like “Alley of Oaks”, “Why?”) and
“Maleficium” which is the strongest song on the album, just like road roller
crushing listener’s bones – extremely good work! Yes, and with the last seconds
of the title track good things end here. Why? It’s hard to explain, even after
all these years. To say my point, the second part of “Maleficium” (six songs) is
completely faceless and simply weak, except for two ‘songs’ “It” which is in fact
ninety seconds Rytkönen’s recitation and acoustic outro
“Nemesis”. Maybe one of these songs “The Devil in Me” is worthy of listening,
maybe… Here the Swedes can’t create atmosphere, metal feelings, good music just
like on the first part. It seems like they gave a chance some poor and lame
friends to record some songs on the album. Of course, they failed.
So, in my
opinion it is very strange album: from greatness to music disaster. From “The
Source of Pain” to the real sonic calamity like “Creatures of the Hierarchy”
(especially hopeless riffs and the chorus…). This album had to be some
breakthrough for the band in positive meaning, but at the end of the day, it
became a beginning of the end. In spite of this I really like this album, of
course first six tracks, the rest should be shrouded in silence. The great
times of the first four albums has gone almost irrevocably. I wrote ‘almost’
because Swedes recorded later good albums. Unfortunately only good albums…
70/100
-Tlacaxipehualiztli
(previously written for Encyclopaedia Metallum, on December, 2011, now modified a bit)
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