In LEFT TO DIE, DEATH alumni Rick Rozz (MASSACRE) and Terry Butler (OBITUARY) join forces with GRUESOME founders Matt Harvey (EXHUMED) and Gus Rios (KILL DIVISION) to honor the past while bringing it into the present. On their debut album, Initium Mortis, the band digs deep into DEATH’s brutal origins, resurrecting choice cuts that reach all the way back to Chuck Schuldiner’s pre-DEATH outfit, MANTAS, and demos from the early to mid-1980s.
Got that? Cool. Let’s check it out!
With 10 tracks clocking in at just 26 minutes, this is a case of hitting ’em high, hitting ’em low, and back and forth we go. Strap in, y’all, because you’re in for a treat here.
Right away, “Rise of Satan” was — and remains — my favorite. And really, are you surprised?
The album kicks off seemingly in fifth gear with the one-two punch of “Legion of Doom” and “Archangel,” both ready to hug the curves at Le Mans. “Summoned to Die,” another winner, goes straight for the jugular with ferocity, while “Mantas” is a headbanger’s paradise.
“Slaughterhouse” has a riff running through it like a rattlesnake lookin’ to bite, while the closing track “Death by Metal” hits like a shotgun blast to the ass. Great song, folks!
Elsewhere, we’ve got “Power of Darkness” and “Zombie.” The latter is an instrumental and slips into the mix quite nicely.
All told, LEFT TO DIE has given death metal fans a winning record with Initium Mortis. It’s also a fitting homage to one of the genre’s pioneers and essential listening for die-hard DEATH fans or new generations just discovering the legacy born of the Florida scene.
The album is out now via Relapse Records, so have at it!
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Rise of Satan,” “Summoned to Die,” “Archangel,” “Death by Metal”
RATING: 9/10
—THE MAESTRO
BONUS FACT: Gus Rios and Matt Harvey are moonlighting as members of Cold Slither, a band inspired by the world of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe franchise and the Cobra-affiliated Dreadnoks.
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