A SAUNTER THROUGH THE SHROUD

"A Saunter Through the Shroud" is an EP release by Swedish death metal act Morbus Chron. The EP was released through Century Media Records in July 2012. It bridges the gap between the band´s debut full-length studio album "Sleepers in the Rift (2011)" and their sophomore full-length studio album "Sweven (2014)".

While the lineup hasn´t changed since the debut album, it´s pretty clear when listening to "A Saunter Through the Shroud", that the old school Scandinavian death metal sound featured on "Sleepers in the Rift (2011)" was not the fully developed sound of Morbus Chron (and as time would show, neither is the sound featured on "A Saunter Through the Shroud"). While the basic formula is much the same, it is still the darker and sligthly more twisted part of the Scandinavian death metal scene that is the main reference. Artists like early Cadaver, early Carbonized, and early Darkthrone. There´s a morbid doom/death touch of Autopsy there too, and compared to the debut album, a technical death metal element has also been added to the sound. Demilich could be mentioned in regards to the latter influence.

So the sound on "A Saunter Through the Shroud" is not your standard old school Scandinavian death metal sound, but rather a dark, filthy, and technical version of it. A band like the Norwegian Diskord could be mentioned here as a reference too. Morbus Chron are a well playing band and lead vocalist/guitarist Robert Andersson has a very convincing growling vocal delivery. The EP is well produced too and features a raw, dark, and organic sound production which suits the material perfectly. So the only issue here is that the EP is a bit short with its 3 tracks and 13:19 minutes long playing time. But I´d much rather be left with the feeling that I want more, than the feeling that a release has outstayed its welcome. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)