Rosethrone – Mortis Incarnata: A Southern Alberta Death Thrash Assault

There is a specific brand of aggression expected from Southern Alberta’s death thrash scene, and Rosethrone delivers it instantly. Their debut EP, Mortis Incarnata, released September 26, is a 6-track, 29-minute reminder of why their live sets are so high-energy.

From the opening track, “The Abysswalker”, straight through to the closing, “Solitude”, this album rips through you like you are standing in front of a wood chipper spraying out the remains of that neighbour that pissed you off last year.

Guitar work is tight with a blend of thrash and death metal distortion, like a chainsaw and dental drill had a baby. Riffs go from chunky to the type of finger work on the fretboard that rivals the blinding velocity of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, just an octave or five lower. Yeah, I know that would be metal for whales, but you get my meaning. The leads and solo work are like a camp killer’s blade, cutting through the meaty riffs with ease. But it’s not just that, they’re creatively added to the songs, making them more than just “licks”. They add a level of atmosphere that many bands struggle to achieve, ensuring they never feel like “peel and stick” additions.

Vocals, handled by dual lead vocalists, range from gutturals that sound like a rabid bear chewing through bone to the shrieks of an ancient demon rising from the depths. Fans of bands like Angelmaker or Despised Icon will understand the positive impact dual vocalists can have on an album when executed properly. I can say, this is that instance. There are sections where the two are blended into an ensemble of evil. And yet other sections where each unique voice has been layered to create a brilliant, visceral dissonance.

If road work crews need to replace their road rollers next summer, they can just play this album at 11. There are minor breaks peppered in throughout a few of the tracks where the drums let up for a measure or two, but for the most part, this is just utter brutality on a level that can be physically felt passing from your ears down your spine. The double bass on this album has a way of feeling like quadruple bass somehow. I’ll be paying much closer attention to the feet the next time I see them play live.

My only real negative here is the low-end mix. While you won’t notice it just listening to the album start to finish, moving to another album immediately highlights a missing depth in this EP. The bass and drums aren’t muddy or muffled, but they feel like they are playing from the back of the room. I ran this through a car stereo, AirPods, and a pair of Heavys, and no matter the hardware, that driving rhythm section sits just a bit too far back to deliver the punch it needs.