I have written about melodic death metal ad nauseum in the past, discussing its evolution long after the genre’s peaks. Despite this, bands are still putting out records, such as Insomnium, a prominent stalwart, and Majesties, a band whose melodeath is rooted in its origins. However, sometimes, people forget about the melodic aspect of melodeath, and this is where Mors Principium Est thrives – creating melodeath that pulls from other genres, never sounding stale, and always…melodic. It’s this creativity that makes their newest album, Darkness Invisible, a delight to savor. Let’s discuss.

My fascination with melodeath has always been with the Swedes. It was up until very recently that I started to gravitate towards something else, something more than just death metal with melody. For example, bands like Insomnium bring a more atmospheric leaning, their music haunting and filled with a melancholy that colors their entire musical palette. Their music tends to be quieter, more reflective in its scope. Mors Principium Est, on the other hand, are in another extreme, their music grander, filled to the brim with influences that you wouldn’t see otherwise in bands that originally pioneered the genre. Darkness Invisible feels like a cross between the larger-than-life composition and themes in Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Opera; and the majestic, almost-power metal influence evident in Mercenary’s Soundtrack for the End Times, an album that emphasizes the melodic to its inherent conclusion. After all, Darkness Invisible has neoclassical elements embedded in its structure, and the fact it works so well is a testament to Mors Principium Est’s ability to build intrigue and texture in its soundscapes.

First track “Of Death” begins with an ominous chant that ultimately builds anticipation to the music proper, a guitar-drum combo that leads into a fury that blitzes through its first two minutes. Then, the music sinks into a slower, melodic sweep, with catchy hooks and the backing of synths that gives it this cinematic feel, as if a part of a film score. The band also uses what I can only describe as a tech death riff that gives the music a different dynamic altogether, whether it is to highlight the chorus’s melody or to change the pace and speed that Mors Principium Est employs. This leads into “Venator,” a track that veers more into traditional melodeath territory. While the synths remain in the background and the instrumentation runs at a speed that would make tech death pale in comparison, the music remains rooted in its riffing, an anchor in the chaos of this track. The melody used here does not come from synths, but from the guitar and the drums, becoming more syncopated and rhythmic in order to keep up with the band’s speed. This showcases duality in Darkness Invisible, changing across and in between tracks. Whether it is the sharp cuts to more orchestral elements in “Summoning the Dark” or the death metal emphasis in “The Rivers of Avernus,” Mors Principium Est does not hesitate to show how seamlessly this duality works in their music, adding to the overall chaotic nature that Darkness Invisible thrives in.

Despite my enjoyment of the album, Darkness Invisible is musically dense. Although some may not see this an issue, choosing to see this as part of Mors Principium Est’s well-structured chaos, others may not take kindly to the ongoing dynamic shifts and the larger emphasis on the “melodic” aspects of their brand of melodeath. There’s also the potential view that the music is trying to do too much within its 50-minute runtime, stuffing as many things as it can to fulfill some thematic line that the band can use later. However, this is a minor issue, and I found myself enjoying the music through repeated listens.

Darkness Invisible thrives because of its highly neoclassical nature, allowing itself to borrow from various influences, becoming one of the most cohesive albums of this genre that I have heard this year. What I love the most is how its music remains fresh and different throughout multiple listens, never losing its appeal even after I can tell when a riff or a tonal shift is coming. Mors Principium Est were clearly looking to expand their melodic arsenal, and they succeeded in spades. My own biases aside, Darkness Invisible is an objectively fantastic album, and one I hope will finally lead me to listen to more of their discography. Expect this album to show up at the end of the year.

— Hera

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Darkness Invisible is available now on Perception Records. For more information on Mors Principium Est, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.