Behold one and all, the power of Post Mortem! Despite there being, literally, one Post Mortem in every populated nook that plays some sort of variation of thrash and death metal, none of them are quite like the Massachusetts undergrounders who have created a comeback album after many years of inactivity, albeit with bittersweet consequences. While Post Mortem never gained significant notoriety in their brief stab at bandhood in the late 80’s and early 90’s, they still defied the pecking order of the time by creating a brand of thrash that bordered on death metal with a brooding, downtuned style that sounded like Entombed playing Black Flag covers at a much slower pace. Yes, the advent of “crossover” thrash has always been a commodity since there has been thrash, but even still, Post Mortem seemed to be something more, yet their future was never fully realized. Now, in 2009, the World has been presented with a sudden comeback, only this time the resulting album has come with the consequence of the band dealing with the untimely death of vocalist and long time member John McCarthy. John was set to record his portions of the album when he passed, and because of this, the album was left in limbo. Finally though, with the help of several guest musicians, the album has been finished, and the result is the most brutal slab of music the band has ever produced.

Instead of thrashy crustcore-like riffs, Message From the Dead offers up something far more heavier…doom. While the band has played with doom metal ever since their first album, Coroner’s Office, it hasn’t been until Message From the Dead that the nihilistic, yet still oddly humorous sound has pervaded the band’s music so persuasively. John McCarthy’s voice on past albums was much more in tune with the thrash style of the band’s early career, and befitted the band’s sound, however, I really dig the full on death metal growl supplied by multiple guest vocalists (including Sigh’s Mirai Kawashima), which brings a whole new attitude to the simple, raw, yet very effective riffs.

It’s sad that such a powerful record may very well be a dramatic period on the band’s legacy amongst hardcore thrash fans. John McCarthy clearly had a major impact on the band’s sound and cohesiveness, so if his passing spells the ultimate end of Post Mortem, Message From the Dead is a great way to cap off the band’s brief tenure. Message From the Dead was my first exposure to this band, but the impact it had on me was pretty damn profound, especially as a thrash fan. Post Mortem, whether they continue to persevere or not, will not fade into obscurity as far as I’m concerned, and I intend on telling as many people about these guys as possible.

VERY GOOD

Similar Artists: The Accused, Celtic Frost, Candlemass

1.    Message From the Dead
2.    Dana Hersey
3.    Crispy Monsters
4.    Human Pinata
5.    Pray Before You Die
6.    Field Trip
7.    Never Rat
8.    Babble On
9.    A Happy Life
10.    Forthright Tuna
11.    Oh So Evil
12.    Message From the Dead (Bonus)
13.    Field Trip (Bonus)
14.    Never Rat (Bonus)
15.    A Happy Life (Bonus)
16.    Oh So Evil (Bonus)

John Alexander – Guitar
Jay Scheffler – Guitar
Colon Hewson – Lead
Mark Kelley – Bass
Rick Mclver – Drums

Guest vocalists:
Mirai Kawashima
Ryan Travis
Mike Perun
Alex Bijazic
Mike Keller

Taboo Productions

http://www.myspace.com/postmortem

Review by CODY