Location: Arlington, Virginia
Country: USA
Genre: Thrash, death, heavy metal
Full length: Children of the Morgue
Format: Digital album
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Release date: August 30, 2024
Since I first heard “Fearless Undead Machines,” Deceased has never disappointed. Based in part on George Romero's original "Living Dead" trilogy, it was a concept album about the now-popular zombie apocalypse with complex song compositions, not to mention meticulously written, intelligent lyrics.
Each of their subsequent albums up to their eighth, “Children of the Morgue,” expanded a little further in the musical, lyrical or conceptual department. Then are the two volumes of "Rotten to the Core" (Malt Soda Recordings), which featured punk and hardcore landmarks by The Ramones, Cro-Mags, Angry Samoans, Final Conflict, The Accused, The Buzzcocks, and more.
Such was the energy, passion and conviction of those albums they even surpassed Slayer's "Undisputed Attitude" (this from someone who was huge on Slayer in the 80s and 90s). "Thrash Times at Ridgemont High" emphasizes Deceased's love of 1980s thrash without falling under the “retro” label.
All talk of gatekeepers, posers, and preachers aside, Deceased has always been about preserving the joy of discovering those bands when they were at first active and carrying it through into the present. Doing so and being the finest old school band they can be is its own form of recognition. This is exactly what you can expect from “Children of the Morgue.” No excuses, no softened blows, no apologies.
After eight albums, newest members Shane Fuegel and Amos Rifkin work well with longtime members Les Snyder and Mike Smith, effectively mixing technical, melodic and improvisational license. The lines between death, thrash, and NWOBHM is further blurred as half the album consists of tracks between five and eight minutes, allowing for many sections especially based on a particular influence. This and the occasional intro pieces help them break out from stagnation and predictability.
Vocalist/lyricist King Fowley (also of October 31), writes and provokes thought in a manner befitting classic literature. Emerging from behind the drums allows him to focus solely on his vocals, which he delivers with greater amounts of energy and intensity, drawing wind from his gut, deepening his voice and enunciating with more clarity. Themes of existential dread, parasitic creation, false optimism, and humanity's unstoppable march toward its own destruction are explored without subtlety.
The cycle of life and destruction, or of birth, death, and rebirth, is explored with dismal frankness with images of extraterrestrial creatures, forgotten memories, psychological pain, and of course grim reapers come to claim more souls. Where Black Sabbath, Dio, and Candlemass offered thin but tangible rays of hope, Deceased illustrates the gradual collapse of hope as humanity is pushed to its eventual end.
In this sense Children of the Morgue" is a complement to "Fearless Undead Machines" and its depiction of humanity succumbing to the zombie apocalypse not with a bang but a whimper. Both albums depict a progressive descent into entropy, madness, and the extinction of the human race, set to an extravagant metal opera and crafted with enough forbidding diligence to make "The Walking Dead" look optimistic.
Additional vocals by Jillian Smith enhance the lyrics' literary personality, giving tracks like "Fed to Mother Earth" a feel somewhat akin to Cradle of Filth. Also look for guest solos by former Deceased guitarist Mark Adams, Matt Ibach (ex-October 31) and Mike Bossier (CrusHuman). –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
King Fowley: Vocals
Mike Smith: Guitars
Shane Fuegel: Guitars
Les Snyder: Bass
Amos Rifkin: Drums
Track list:
1. Destination Morgue
2. Children of the Morgue
3. Turn to Wither
4. Terrornaut
5. The Reaper Is Nesting
6. The Uninvited Dirge
7. The Grave Digger
8. Eerie Wavelengths
9. Fed to Mother Earth
10. Skull with the Vacant Stare
11. Brooding Lament
12. Farewell "Taken to Forever"
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