Brutality
In Mourning

It's the autumn of 1996: Brutality releases their third and final work recorded at the historic "Morrisound Studios" in their hometown, Tampa, Florida; an album brilliantly produced by the band itself, with the necessary help of Jim Morris, a genuine legend and the King Midas of the genre. A musical adventure that began in the late eighties had produced, two years earlier in 1994, their undisputed masterpiece "When the Sky Turns Black," for me, one of the pinnacles of Death Metal.

The situation within the band is not the best: the recordings are expected to be difficult, also due to the sudden change in the lineup of both guitarists. The very title of the album "In Mourning," seems to foreshadow a long-announced end; and it is the same German record label "Nuclear Blast" that abandons the guys to their fate at the end of yet another exhausting promotional tour which will not be satisfactory in terms of economic return, as well as the modest sales of the album itself. But despite the negatives, the album does not suffer at all from the dire atmosphere: everything unfolds through nine deadly tracks, for a total duration of just over 47 minutes. The cover and the band's logo are entirely "normal," not presenting those typical brutalities for the genre played by the band; I own the first edition of the work, purchased upon its release at that place of worship which was for me the "Mariposa Duomo" store in Milan, and the plastic cd case has an unusual orange color that makes the impact of the album more mysterious and personal at first glance.

As for the sound of Brutality, in this their worthy sonic epitaph, it retains all those important features that have always distinguished the group: technical and compositional ability of all the musicians, with my personal commendation to drummer Jim Coker for a sick, frenzied drumming, rich in continuous timing variations always in total control: a war machine. As for the guitarists, Dana Walsh and Pete Sykes are two lethal axes, capable of delivering a heavy performance on a sound level, thanks to continuous solos and heavy-doom core riffs, which then suddenly make room for brutal accelerations (forgive the reference) to plummet immediately after into dark and oppressive territories, making the listening experience of individual songs a true tour de force of immense but controlled power. With Scott Riegel's voice, a primitive, beastly growl, at times exasperated, capable of further accentuating the aura of black malevolence that emanates from listening to the album.

An album that knows no pauses, not containing those sublime acoustic instrumental passages that were characteristic of some songs from the previous work: this, in my opinion, is the only flaw of an album that is too homogeneous in its overflowing violence. It is Jim's "military" drumming that opens the first track "Obsessed," giving way to a guitar solo that immediately highlights all the peculiarities of such a distinctive and unique sound; next comes the emblematic "Waiting to be Devoured," which opens slowly, ferally, continuing this way throughout its duration, leaving you literally in pieces and creating that oppressive and anguishing sense of heaviness. There is no moment of respite while listening, and in this way, one arrives at the title track, which recalls the more controlled sound of Morbid Angel, only to explode in the last seconds with a violent dive into more classic Death Metal territories...and at this point, my mind can only bring me back to the unforgettable band of the late Chuck Schuldiner.

It continues right after with the interminable, over eight minutes!!!, "Subjected to Torture," from whose title it is easy to imagine the contents of the ferocious text; a track that is an immense boulder that seems to never end, with continuous time changes and guitar solos, true slashes that dig deep wounds into the listener's soul: after all, it talks about torture!! And finally, one arrives exhausted at the end with "Extinction," another long track that once again shows the band's ability to mold a twisted, emaciated sound, confirming the greatness of a group too soon forgotten, unfortunately.

An album that does not reach the levels of its predecessor, but for lovers of the genre, I highly recommend it. Last year, Brutality reunited with the original lineup to record a two-track EP; and a new studio work seems to be on the horizon by the end of this year. I wait hopefully for developments, although, as always, these reunions after so many years leave me doubtful and perplexed.

Ad Maiora.