Muert - Ye Canariae Abezan
Italy
Hammerheart Records
“Ye
Canariae Abezan” is the third album by Canarian warmongers Muert and was
released in 2017 by Hammerheart Records on both CD and 12" vinyl. For
those who don’t know, the Canary Islands is an autonomous region of Spain
(politically, not geographically) near the coast of northwest Africa, with the
easternmost island (Lanzarote) being only 80 kilometres from Morocco and the
closest part to Spain being 2000 kilometres. Apparently, the artwork of this
album is a historical reference and depicts the battle of La Matanza de
Acentejo, in which the indigenous people repelled the Spanish troops in 1494.
One
of the pros of this album is that the music is anything but formulaic, as each
song offers a different listening experience with various tempos and
arrangements that keep the listener interested until the last note. In fact, I
was constantly curious as to what the band would pull out of the bag next. That
being said, try not to misconstrue what I said by thinking that this is some
kind of weird “prog” album. On the contrary, this is bestial black/death
conceived in the murky landscapes of its environment, adding their own unique
flavour to the subgenre with indigenous elements and influences. The title, for
example, translates to "The Canarian Darkness," with
"Abezan" meaning "darkness" in the language of the Canarian
natives.
The
band mixes it up nicely, as can be heard in the track “Acentejo 1494”, which
perfectly alternates between a face-stomping thrash riff to a morbid black
metal riff with absolute finesse. The thrash influence in the compositions is
undeniable and a testament to their old-school roots. On tracks like “Crueldad
desde islas Canarias,” the band clearly shows their penchant for traditional
metal, as the song begins with a lead that oozes epic heavy metal and lasts
only a few seconds before being obliterated by the cryptic onslaught of death.
There are plenty of headbanging moments on this album, even bordering on “fun”
(depending on how you look at it), but make no mistake, this is dark and
aggressive music of the highest calibre, made by maniacs for maniacs. I mean,
you have songs like “Of Corpses, Evil & Drinks...” which is an obvious ode
to metal and may even have been inspired by the great Sarcofago (“Sex, Drinks
and Metal”). Apparently, the song is about a night at the graveyard that
involves profanation, alcohol, and vice. It doesn’t get more black metal than
that if you ask me.
The
umbrella term “war metal” refers to bands that play filthy and bestial metal
rooted in bands like Sepultura, Holocausto, Sarcofago, etc. That being said, I
can definitely see it applying to the sound of Muert, especially in the way the
vocals are performed and in the general antagonism behind the music. The
vocalist definitely does one helluva job, as his deep yowls are full of hate,
pain and violence, unleashing his cursed lines in every track. The guitar sound
also has a slight Swedish undercurrent, reminiscent of early Carnage and
Entombed, which once again shows how varied and nuanced the whole album is. On
“Ye Canariae Abezan” the band have delivered the perfect blend of black, death
and thrash, or “Guanche Black/Death” as they call their music. I highly
recommend this masterpiece to fans of bands like Teitanblood, Ascended Dead,
and Black Curse. Stand-out tracks: “Of Corpses, Evil & Drinks...”, “and
1.000 momias ”, “Leprocity” (Jim)
