Mortuary Drape "Into The Drape / All The Witches Dance" CD Azermedoth

Includes "Into The Drape" EP + bonus live track recorded in Germany.

Mortuary Drape is a well-known band for having brought the occult music to a level that not so many bands reached. Their style, begun in 1986, was a mix of old Venom influences with the occult ones coming from our mighty 80s Italian panorama and bands like Death SS and Black Hole to create something new for the time. The first demos followed this direction and soon they became cults in the underground but just after 8 years from its creation, the band managed to release the very first album, this All The Witches Dance. Piedmont, my region, has always been famous for its occult and dark aura; the legends we have talk about witches and dark stories about demons and Mortuary Drape surely were inspired by these themes to built up their music.
This album is one of the gloomiest I’ve ever heard. The violent black metal components are wisely mixed with the classic occult atmospheres of the keyboards to create a perfect balance. The first example of atmosphere we can find is “My Soul” song in which the 6 minutes are full of ritual-like voices and arpeggios. The language here is Latin but soon the black metal explodes with the great, mythical “Primordial”. The riffs and the drums beats are still bound to the very first black/death time, as the vocals are more growling than screamed. The catchiness of the riffs and the awesome refrain contribute in making this song a true cult in the Italian panorama. The solo is surprisingly excellent and full of tapping parts, adding the macabre sensation but always with an eye to the old school thrash metal.
“Astral Bewitchment” is a slowly, rotten progression. The old Black Sabbath riffs are clearly an influence for the ones on this song but during the faster parts we can always find influences from thrash metal for the simple and crunchy riffage. The production is good because all the instruments are quite clear, even for the bass and nothing overcomes in volumes. The same can be said for the following “Funeral Chant” in which the slow progression comes with the arpeggios, the sound of the bells and a truly foggy atmosphere. The use of the female vocals is something very similar to the early Opera IX style and even the doomy, rotten sections somehow are bound to what Opera IX would have done of their debut album in 1995.
“Larve” is different in terms of speed and dynamism but not for the general atmosphere of pure obscurity and desecration. The sounds come out directly from a crypt but as always, the guitar solos are precise and fluent, giving the right dark touch. The children’s chant and the horror atmospheres of “Tregenda (Dance In Shroud)” soon comes and even the more doom/black elements are just creepy and full of weird interludes. “13th Way” has a few excellent, fast overtures and the general structure is quite full of tempo changes and this is good because too many slow parts could actually be a bit too heavy, being not that various and mostly pointing on the sheer gloominess. The slow interludes of “Chains” add more atmosphere in this path for the total darkness.
“Medium Mortem” is more violent despite not being that fast and the doomy, frightening bass notes of “Occult Abyss” introduce a long series of fast paced drums with the dark riffs that follow leading us to the end of this important if not perfect example of occultism in Italy. Here we have an album that is considered a true, small cult and not only in my country and I hope it will receive more attention in the future.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...