Tastes Like Rock Magazine

Pallor Mortis - The Art of Terror

Death Metal

Unsigned

Posted 2/19/15 - 5:40 PM ET

Tastes Like Rock - Pallor Mortis - The Art of Terror Review
Tastes Like Rock - Pallor Mortis - The Art of Terror Review
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Brutal and relentless. Pallor Mortis never lets up and the band revels in it, judging from the layout of each song's composition. The Montreal-based four piece Death Metal outfit hammers their genre home with the brutal beating of the vocals, the growling instruments, and foreboding atmosphere of some song intros. The songs also have a slower tempo than some Death Metal outfits have chosen to go with in their songwriting for the past few years, Death Metal acts have been edging closer and closer to shred I've noticed over the last decade; but Pallor Mortis has opted for the slower tempo, though nonetheless heavy with a deep sense of brutality in the instrumentals. Aside from the genre identifiers and aural assault that Pallor Mortis lays down, the band has composed solid metal here without any cross pollination of styles; including no use of dub step drops that have infected almost all subgenres of metal for the last three or so years. I like that.


I'm all for experimentation in all genres of music, particularly rock and metal as this reviewer's personal tastes lie there; but it's cool when a band goes balls to the wall in their own preferred genre and keeps the dub step out. Letting the vocals and instruments do the talking without the glorified synth effects.



The Art of Terror's pacing is decent, it's hard to lose interest in, but if you do get distracted; start whichever song you were on over and listen from the top. Maybe even start the album over and play through beginning to end. Bottom line, the album is not for the feint of heart. Lyrical content delivers bloody visions of gore, death, torture, dismemberment, crushing of the spirit, evil magicks, and human depravity in dark prose.



Track List:

  1. Teneabrerum
  2. Vengeance Basks In Vestiges Of The Past
  3. To Sever; The Art of Terror 
  4. As Man Beheld Its Scorching Ruins
  5. Fretum
  6. Gorged Flesh Adorned Their Shores
  7. Crimson Blade Of Assyria
  8. The Chthonian Pyre Of Salem
  9. Incendium


Choice cuts are "Vengeance Basks In The Vestiges Of The Past", "Crimson Blade Of Assyria", and "The Chthonian Pyre Of Salem".



Pallor Mortis gets a 3.5 out of 5 for The Art Of Terror.



Pallor Mortis's line up on The Art Of Terror was Vince O'Leary (vocals), Peter Lountsiz (guitar), Jessica Simard (guitar), Jeff Jenkins (bass), and Jessy Normand (drums). The band's current line up is Vince O'Leary (vocals), Collin McGee (guitar), Peter Lountzis (guitar), and Jessy Normand (drums). For more from Pallor Mortis visit www.pallormortis.com.



- Michael Meade