10th October 2021

Review: “Inquisition” by Muertissima

An Old School Death Metal quartet hailing from Paris France, Muertissima (Spanish for “Very Dead“) like so many before them have made their mark in the live arena before committing their cuts to tape in the studio. Forming at some point close to February 2017, those shows have been mainly been in the Paris region, notably at the Oberkampf Headquarters and at the Covent Garden in Eragny (95), including the opening of the “Covent X Fest” festival alongside Witches, Hate Beyond and Agressor. Simon Perrin (vocals, bass), Matthias “Macchabée” Bonhoure (lead guitar), Stephane Prados (rhythm guitar) and Cédric Dupuy (drums) then entered Lower Tones Place Studio in 2020 to record their debut album “Inquisition“…

Showing no respect for genre boundaries, Muertissima raise their fists in defiance with “Inquisition“, offering up a collection of cuts that take influence from At the Gates, Carcass and Morbid Angel and blur the lines between Thrash, Death and Black Metal with an Old School, timeless quality that has instant appeal and is a call to arms to bring the masses to the pit, like a whiskey bottle calling an alcoholic. If it wasn’t for the quality of the recording itself, this could have dropped in 1980 and no-one would be any the wiser; the band aren’t looking to push the envelope but instead create something that is fun and enjoyable, while being true to themselves and that is exactly what they’ve done with the help of a suitably aged guitar tone. Pulverising rhythms from a powerhouse drummer and a rumbling bass keep heads banging like the swaying of flaming marionettes, while the off kilter solos of cuts like the title track add a nice nauseating sense of tension while showing off some skill and dexterity. The unclean vocals of Perrin might be less outright Demonic than you might expect but the benefit to that is that all of the lyrics are clearly audible as the tales of beasts from the other side of the gates of hell unfold. There is nothing to particularly place this as a French record; it could be from anywhere in the World and proves if there was any doubt that Metal has become a truly Global force in the modern age and whereas some accenting usually gives the game away, Perrin keeps those cards close to his chest and roars like a caged beast in English. In longer cut “Shooting Gallery” he does a striking early James Hetfield styled vocal moment that will turn heads. A more drawn out affair, soaked in pounding rhythms and Flying V climbing solos, it plants the bands skull and crossbones firmly in the soil and claims the territory as their own. It certainly wouldn’t surprise if the band rattled off a “Beneath The Remains” era Sepultura cover, such is the quality on show in terms of musicianship. Elements like gang vocals bolster on occasion bolster that and add a chant ability that goes down well at shows for some fist pumping, adrenaline fuelled moments and are kept scares enough to stand out. The band also show they can do atmosphere really well with the bone snapping “Wild Hunt“, a classic mid-tempo chugger that pounds you into submission while using the mix to allow the bass to bleed out and add some more weight before an extended face melting solo in the finale gives you exactly what you need. Inspired by the music of traditional Spain, the final moment, the gentle acoustic flamenco “Libertad” is the strangest moment, sublime and yet so far adrift from anything else… [7/10]

Track listing