Godless Rising

Years after Satan has lost his shock value, Moribund is keeping the nightmare alive, occasionally releasing "satanic” material that’s actually worth listening to. The emphasis here is on "occasionally” and lucky for them, Battle Lords is one of those occasions. Despite the laughable vantage point and obvious ironies associated with the "Satanism” most metal musicians practice, Godless Rising come out fighting and continue to do so for the duration of the album. Their claim to fame is ex-Vital Remains members Jeff Gruslin and Paul Flynn, and though some comparisons to this previous endeavour are not unwarranted, GD decided to stay in the early ’90s and improve upon standard practices. They aren’t the most original band but this element of nostalgia is actually their greatest strength. Their Morbid Angel tendencies, with the occasional tinge of Malevolent Creation, make for aptly executed, high calibre, good ol’ fashioned death metal; it’s refreshing to hear people who are capable of taking you back without insulting those who came before them. With enough hard work these guys have the potential to make a name for themselves, instead of forever being in the "ex” status shadow. At the same time, without moving forward, they could be destined to wallow with the majority of Moribund’s roster: in poverty stricken musician hell.